


Bittersweet Valentine

by beach



Series: Checklist Universe [5]
Category: Finder no Hyouteki | Finder Series
Genre: Chocolate, Fluff, M/M, Mystery, Presents, Secret Messages, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-13
Updated: 2016-02-28
Packaged: 2018-05-20 00:40:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 32,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5986474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beach/pseuds/beach
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Akihito's and Asami's first Valentine's Day after talking over their relationship. Both of them are swamped with work, an old enemy is released from prison, and Fei Long is back in Japan... Will they have time to celebrate?</p><p>Takes place in my Checklist universe (and references the events in "Takaba Akihito's Secret Part-Time Job"). I'll provide notes at the beginning so you can follow even if you haven't read either story, though Asami and Akihito might seem slightly out of character.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fermenting and Roasting the Beans

**Author's Note:**

> You can read Checklist [here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4911631/chapters/11267599). In brief, Akihito took a relationship checklist with his friends that made him confront the problems in his and Asami's relationship. Corrupt Diet member Kurosaki used his underworld connections to target Akihito, and Kou got dragged into the mess. Asami hired Kou to redesign the label for Sion's flagship beer, and Kou now lives in the Sion corporate apartments (where Akihito's guards also live) after his apartment was targeted because of rumors that Asami's lover lived at Kou's old address. Takato is clueless, but Kou is aware of Asami's underworld connections. Akihito has received therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, and Asami has gone through individual counseling, too (as well as couples therapy with Akihito). They are currently fostering cats while their neighbor is recovering from surgery.
> 
> In ["Secret Job"](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4705832/chapters/10745933), Sion sold an enhanced-security warehouse to the Takanaga group, complete with escape tunnels (one led to the Takanaga building, another led to an empty warehouse with concealed areas where people could hide during a raid). Sion later moved illegal weapons to the Takanaga warehouse and anonymously tipped off the police, leading to the conviction of the senior members of Takanaga (and the seizure of their assets). Akihito covered the Takanaga raid and trials for his paper.
> 
> Original Characters:  
> Kana: Takato's wife  
> Mari: Kou's girlfriend  
> Yoneda: Akihito's head security guard  
> Sakuragi: one of Akihito's guards  
> Saji: another of Akihito's guards  
> Koizumi: the judge who overturned the Takanaga leaders' conviction  
> Takanaga Seita: the chairman of the Takanaga group, just released from prison  
> Kurebayashi: a psychologist who works for Sion (and has provided therapy to Akihito and Asami)  
> Amaya: female kitten, cries whenever Akihito's not in the room  
> Shiro: male kitten, curious, stubborn, energetic, and kind  
> Hitoshi: male kitten, clever, relatively obedient, patient  
> Momoe: the kittens' mother
> 
> Checklist Universe Timeline (you don't need to have read the other stories, but they might enrich your enjoyment of this one):  
> [Main story](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4911631/chapters/11267599): Fourth week of November (Nanohana epilogue: late March)  
> [Cooking Lesson](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5817277): First weekend of December (Akihito gives Kou and Asami a cooking lesson, and Kou resolves his living situation)  
> [Night Rain](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5838322): mid-December to early March (kittens!)  
> [Triple Date](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5930485): late January (Takato, Kana, Kou, Mari, Akihito, and Asami have a triple date at Kou's place)  
> [Bittersweet Valentine](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5986474): mid-February (Valentine's weekend)

Akihito’s phone rings at eight o’clock Saturday morning. He tries to ignore it, but he’s already awake now. He grabs the phone and takes it out into the hallway so he doesn’t wake up Asami. “This better be an emergency,” he grumbles as he answers it.

“Akihito-san, I need help,” Kana says breathlessly.

“What’s up?” Akihito asks.

“My friend begged me to make special Valentine’s chocolates for her, but the last time I tried to make homemade chocolates, it was a disaster.”

“So tell her to buy some,” Akihito suggests.

“She wants to make special decorated chocolates to tell her husband she’s pregnant,” Kana explains. “She thinks since I’m good at cooking and crafting, I should be able to make the chocolates. She’s so desperate, she offered to pay me – not that I accepted, of course.”

Akihito sighs. “Guess it can’t be helped. Any idea how she wants to say her message in the chocolate?”

“No. She just thought it’d be cute since Valentine’s Day is tomorrow.”

Akihito groans. “So we’ve got to make them today?”

“Or tomorrow,” Kana says.

“I can’t tomorrow. I’ve got a stakeout tonight and a photoshoot tomorrow afternoon.”

“Then today. Pretty please, Aki-san?”

Akihito sighs. “Fine. I guess we should meet at a baking supply store.”

“Thanks, Aki-san! You’re the best.”

 

The baking supply store is crowded, but they’re able to find some cute baby-themed chocolate molds with shapes like a rocking horse, a teddy bear, and a bottle.

“These are cute, but will they get the message across clearly enough?” Kana asks.

Akihito shrugs. “We could also make some regular ones and write words on top. Or make a chocolate truffle that opens up like a fortune cookie.”

“I like the fortune cookie idea,” Kana says.

Once they have their chocolate molds picked out, Akihito takes Kana over to pick out the chocolate. She frowns at the selection of chocolate blocks to melt and re-pour. “My friend asked to make the chocolate from scratch.”

“I’ve never done that before,” Akihito says. “But if you start with high-quality chocolate, it will taste good, and they’ll be customized how your friend wants them.”

“The last time I melted chocolate, it ended up not setting right and had white streaks on it,” Kana says.

“You probably didn’t temper it right,” Akihito says. “As long as you temper it, it’s really easy.”

“Temper?”

“Get it used to the temperature. It has something to do with how much cocoa butter is in the chocolate.”

Kana picks up a package of roasted cocoa nibs. “This is what my friend asked for. Look, there’s a recipe right here. It doesn’t really look that much harder.”

Akihito scans the recipe. “Hmm. It doesn’t _sound_ that hard. Do you have a food processor? A double boiler? A candy thermometer?”

Kana shakes her head.

Akihito sighs. “Fine. I guess we can make them at my house.”

“Thanks, Aki-san!”

Akihito holds up his hand. “I just have to check with Asami first.”

Kana raises her eyebrows. “Why would you have to do that?” she asks, trying to look innocent but failing.

Akihito blushes. “Because we…” He looks around to make sure no one can overhear before leaning closer and whispering “live together.”

“You do?” Kana asks.

Akihito narrows his eyes. “Takato already told you, didn’t he?”

“He did, before we met Asami-san at Kou-san’s. And then he told me it was a secret, because Asami-san doesn’t want too many people to know.”

Akihito rolls his eyes but doesn’t say anything more. He sends a quick text to Asami.

When he’s done, Kana grabs his phone.

“Hey!”

She scrolls through the contact list and examines Asami’s picture. “That’s what I thought I saw.” She giggles at the picture of Asami sleeping next to the weird mascot head. “Is there a story behind it? I thought you said he doesn’t let you take his picture.”

“He doesn’t. That’s why I had to sneak it while he was sleeping.”

“And the head?”

“I just thought it’d be funny, because he’d think it was way below his dignity.”

“He’s naked,” Kana casually observes.

Akihito snatches his phone back, locks it, and shoves it in his pocket. “It was at the beach. It’s normal for men to be topless at the beach.”

“That’s why he’s lying on a bed,” Kana teases.

Akihito scowls and examines the various types of cocoa nibs.

“You look like a strawberry,” Kana says, trying not to laugh.

“Do you know anything about your friend’s husband’s tastes?” Akihito asks.

“I guess,” she says. “He likes chocolate.”

“Read these descriptions. ‘Delicate and complex array of flavors,’ ‘rich, full-bodied cocoa flavor,’ ‘the complexity of Criollo’s flavor profile with the strong cocoa flavor of Forastero.’”

“Maybe we should get some of each?” Kana asks dubiously.

Akihito shrugs. “Are you making chocolate for Takato, too?”

“I was hoping to,” Kana says. “If it won’t take too much extra time.”

“It’s just as easy to make a big batch as a small batch, I think,” Akihito says.

“Are you making some for Asami-san?”

“No. Why would I do that? I’m a guy,” Akihito protests.

“Plenty of guys give chocolates on Valentine’s Day now.”

“I never have,” Akihito says.

“But if you’re making them anyway, it seems like a waste…” Kana trails off.

“Asami doesn’t even like sweets. He wouldn’t enjoy them, anyway.”

“But he likes coffee, right? So make him some really dark chocolate.” She snaps her fingers. “You could even put coffee in it. Or whiskey. You said he likes whiskey, right?”

“I think he’d rather just have the coffee or the whiskey by itself,” Akihito says doubtfully.

But Kana can see the wheels are already turning in his head. She grins and adds all three types of cocoa nibs to the basket.

 

_The whole place is going to reek of chocolate. I’ve got to get out of here before they start._ Asami gets out of bed and heads for the shower. When he gets back to his room, he reaches for the pack of cigarettes and lighter on his nightstand. Before he can light the cigarette, though, his emergency ringtone sounds. He snatches the phone up.

“Speak.” He lights the cigarette and takes a long drag on it to enhance his concentration.

“Asami-sama, the six leaders of the Takanaga group were all released from prison this morning.”

“All of them? At once?” Asami asks.

“Yes. Judge Koizumi signed their sentence reversals at 6am, and they were released at 8am.”

“Notify Suoh and Yoneda. Send a car to pick up Takaba and his friend.”

“Done and done. Kuroda-sensei is preparing a report on Koizumi and the proceedings; I’ll have it ready for when you arrive.”

“Send it to my tablet. I’ll read it on the way. And send a car to pick me up in thirty minutes.”

“Yes, Asami-sama.”

 

When they’re done shopping, Kana asks, “How far is it to your place?”

“About a mile. I walked, but we could take the train if you’d like.”

“No, let’s walk. It’s not too cold, and the exercise is good for me.”

Akihito takes the bags from her and carries them. Yoneda is following them at a discreet distance, and when Kana wants to rush across a street before the light changes, Akihito drops one of the shopping bags.

“Sorry,” he says sheepishly as he bends down to pick it up. He winks at Yoneda, who quickly closes the distance.

Two burly men are heading towards them across the other crosswalk, so Yoneda shifts so that he’s standing between Akihito and Kana and the men.

The two men are walking quickly, acting as if they don’t see any of the people in their path. As they bump against the couple nearest the street, Akihito decides it’d be better to get out of their way than risk getting bumped into traffic.

He tugs on Kana’s wrist. “Watch out,” he warns, pulling her back from the street. As Akihito backs up, Yoneda keeps pace with the men, shifting so he can continue shielding Akihito.

One of the men suddenly swings at Yoneda. “What are you looking at? Get out of my way!”

Yoneda dodges the punch and sweeps the attacker’s foot out from under him. “Go!” he calls urgently over his shoulder at Akihito.

Akihito takes Kana’s hand and runs in the opposite direction. He’s fighting his instinct to stay and help Yoneda, but he’s got to keep Kana safe, and he knows there are two other guards. The guards are better trained and know the legal line they can toe regarding self-defense.

They’ve only gotten a few paces away when Sakuragi meets them and ushers them into a car. He slides into the front passenger seat after Akihito and Kana are safely in the back.

As they pass the corner, Akihito peers out to see that Saji has joined Yoneda and they have the two men restrained. The crowd nearby is clapping.

“Keep your head down, Takaba-sama,” Sakuragi hisses at Akihito.

“What just happened?” Kana asks, panting.

“Sorry,” Akihito says. “I think my security guard just overreacted a little to those thugs.”

“Security guard?” Kana asks, frowning.

“How much did Takato tell you about Asami?”

“He said that you were living together in some fancy penthouse apartment, that he’s a bit older than you, and that he’s the president of one of Japan’s biggest companies.”

“So pretty much everything he knows. Anyway, the corporate world can be more cutthroat than you’d think, and between Asami’s power and my job, let’s just say I sometimes get targeted.”

“Like the Kurosaki situation.”

“Exactly.”

“So Asami-san hired a bodyguard to protect you? That’s so romantic,” Kana squeals.

Akihito rolls his eyes. “I think it’s overkill, but they have helped me out in a tight spot a time or two, so I’ve learned to put up with them. They’re pretty nice guys, and they try to stay out of my way as much as they can.”

Kana laughs. “I feel better knowing that somehow. Takato and Kou-san are always worrying about you. Can I tell Takato?”

Akihito sighs. “Fine. Whatever. Kou already knows.”

Kana’s eyebrows shoot up. “He does?”

“He was with me during the Kurosaki situation, remember? If Yoneda-san – the one who tackled that guy back there – hadn’t warned us, we would have been in some real trouble at Kou’s apartment. That’s why he had to move.” Akihito frowns at the memory.

Kana pats his hand. “Well, I’m glad you’re both safe. Asami-san must care about you a whole lot.”

Akihito shrugs, blushing. He looks out the window and sees that they’re already pulling into the parking garage.

Sakuragi escorts them upstairs. “Please lock the door,” he says.

After Akihito bolts the door, Kana asks, “Is he going to stand right outside the whole time?”

Akihito shrugs. “I don’t know. I guess maybe, at least until they figure out whether those guys back there were targeting us or just randomly being jerks. This floor is limited access, so usually they don’t stay in the hall.” _At least not since I stopped ditching them,_ he thinks ruefully.

Amaya comes running down the hall when she hears his voice. He scoops her up and nuzzles her with his nose.

“Who’s this?” Kana coos.

“This is Amaya. We’re taking care of her, her brothers, and her mom while their owner is recovering from surgery. The others are around someplace.”

As Kana follows him down the hall, she finally notices the size and scale of the apartment. “So this is how the rich and powerful live,” she says, eyes gaping.

Akihito sighs and gives her a short tour. He tries to gloss over their sleeping arrangements, which is easier since they’re trying to keep the doors closed due to the kittens’ mischievousness. So he just says, “This is my room, and this is Asami’s.”

But the master bedroom door swings open as they pass it. Asami is standing there, dressed for work in his usual three-piece suit and swept-back hair.

“I’m home,” Akihito says. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were still here.”

“Welcome back,” Asami says. “You’re both alright?”

“Yeah?” Akihito says, wrinkling his brow. Then he remembers the incident on their way back. “Oh. I think those guys were just acting tough; they didn’t seem to be targeting us.”

“You can never be too careful,” Asami chides.

“I know,” Akihito grumbles. He looks over at Kana. Her mouth is hanging open as she stares at Asami, so he nudges her with his elbow.

She closes her mouth and swallows. “It’s nice to see you again, Asami-san.”

Akihito starts to lead Kana back to the living room, but Asami says, “Shiro is under the bed again. Could you please help fetch him out?”

“Sure,” Akihito says. He tells Kana over his shoulder, “You can wait for me in the living room.”

“Shiro is one of the kittens, right? Can I meet him?” Kana asks.

Akihito wants to say no, but Asami opens the door and says, “Of course.”

Kana takes in the king-sized bed and smirks at Akihito.

“What? Asami’s tall,” Akihito says nonchalantly.

“I didn’t say anything,” Kana says innocently. “What were _you_ thinking?”

Akihito ignores her, looking under the bed and calling, “Here, Shiro!”

Shiro eyes him from the spot under the headboard directly in the middle – the hardest spot to retrieve him from.

Akihito sighs and starts wiggling underneath.

“Can I reach him from this side?” Kana asks, going around to Akihito’s side of the bed and crouching down to look.

“Probably not,” Akihito says, his voice muffled. “He likes to hide in the middle.”

“It’s because he knew it was time for him to be locked out of here,” Asami says. “As soon as I put on my jacket…” He crouches down at the foot of the bed, peering at Shiro.

Kana laughs. “He’s black! Why’d you name him Shiro?”

“Shiro as in ‘castle,’ not ‘white,’” Akihito explains. “He thinks he rules this place.”

Shiro stays still as long as he can, but once he’s almost within Akihito’s reach, he shoots out the side past Kana. He jumps up and opens the closet door and is inside before Kana can stand up.

Kana stands up quickly, but lowers herself back to the ground nearly as quickly.

“Are you alright, Kana-san?” Asami asks, helping her up.

“I’m fine. I just got up too quickly.”

Asami helps her to a chair. “Put your head between your knees.”

Kana does as he suggests. After a moment, she slowly sits up. “I’m fine now.”

“Are you sure? Should we call a doctor?” Akihito worries.

“I just have low blood pressure. Really, I’m fine. I just need to be careful not to stand up too quickly. More importantly, shouldn’t you get Shiro out of the closet?”

Asami goes into the closet, shutting the door behind him, while Akihito sits beside Kana. A moment later, Asami throws open the closet door, holding Shiro up by the scruff of the neck.

“He was chewing on one of my loafers,” he gripes. “I stopped him before he could do too much damage. Where do you want him?”

“We’re going to be making chocolate, so either my room or the closed patio,” Akihito says. “We’ll probably take a while, so my room is probably better. Please make sure the darkroom door is properly latched.”

Asami heads off down the hallway.

“Can you stand now?” Akihito asks Kana. He offers her his hand, and she takes it and stands.

“See? I’m perfectly fine. Sorry to worry you.”

Akihito leads the way out of the bedroom. Amaya is waiting for him right outside the bedroom door, so he scoops her up. “Where are Toshi and your mama?” he asks her. “Hitoshi! Here, boy! Momoe!”

When he arrives in the living room, Hitoshi walks up to him and looks at him expectantly.

Akihito pets his back. “Good boy. Where’s your mama?”

A meow from the couch reveals the answer.

“Momoe! Come here!” She hops down and rubs against his leg, then Kana’s.

“They’re all black. How can you tell them apart?” Kana asks.

“They have slightly different body and face sizes. Shiro and Hitoshi look the most alike, but Hitoshi’s eyes are more coppery than golden, like Momoe’s. Honestly, though, it’s easiest to tell by their personalities.”

Akihito leads the cats to his room. He knocks on the door.

“I’ve got him,” Asami says after a moment.

Akihito opens the door, and Momoe and Hitoshi obediently walk right in.

“I see what you mean,” Kana says, eying Shiro struggling to escape from Asami’s arms.

Akihito sets Amaya down on the futon. He takes off his sweatshirt and wraps it around her, but she jumps down and winds around his legs again, begging to be picked up. Momoe crawls onto the futon, so Akihito sets Maya next to her, covering them both with the sweatshirt. He gestures to the others, and they follow him quickly out of the room (Asami pausing at the door to set Shiro down).

“It’s hard to corral all four of them in one room now,” Akihito says, breathing a sigh of relief. “Half the time, you get one in only to have two escape.”

He closes his eyes and tries to ignore Amaya’s plaintive cries and scratching under the door.

“She really does sound like the rain at night,” Kana says.

“Yeah.” Akihito sighs. “Let’s head to the kitchen. It’s just about lunchtime. Are you hungry?”

Kana shrugs. “Maybe a little bit.”

“Do you have time for lunch before you have to leave?” Akihito asks Asami.

“I have about twenty minutes, but I have to read a report,” Asami says.

“I’ll fix something quick you can eat one-handed with no mess,” Akihito says.

He leads Kana back to the kitchen.

“Go ahead and sit down.” He gestures to the folding chair they keep there. “How does onigiri sound?”

“As long as the filling isn’t too strong,” she says.

“Are you feeling sick to your stomach, too? Maybe you’re coming down with the flu,” Akihito says.

“Maybe,” Kana agrees. “What can I do to help?”

“Just sit there and be happy.” Akihito opens the refrigerator. “Is umeboshi okay?”

“Sure,” Kana says.

“Tuna and mayo?”

She wrinkles her nose. “No.”

“Would the smell bother you if I made some for Asami?”

“That’s fine.”

“What about chicken karaage?”

“Okay.”

Akihito pulls out the ingredients and starts forming the onigiri from the rice he set to cook before leaving that morning, kept warm in the rice cooker.

He plates the first few. “I’ll be right back,” he says before taking the plate to Asami’s office.

“Thanks,” Asami says. He pulls Akihito onto his lap.

“You said you have to read a report,” Akihito protests.

“I’ve got a couple of minutes,” Asami says. “I’m hungry.” He kisses Akihito.

“I’m not food,” Akihito says, but he doesn’t pull away. He picks up an onigiri and holds it to Asami’s mouth.

“Are you going to feed me?” Asami purrs. He takes a bite. “Delicious.”

Akihito sets the rest of the onigiri back on the plate as Asami turns his attention back to Akihito. When Asami starts sucking on his neck, Akihito pulls away. “Hey, don’t leave a kiss mark.” He stands up. “I should probably get back to Kana-san before she wonders what we’re doing. And feed her before she faints again.”

He gives Asami one last kiss before walking away. Before he reaches the door, Asami asks, “When do you think you’ll be finished with the chocolate?”

“I don’t know. Probably not before three, at the earliest.”

“What are your plans afterwards?”

“I’m going to take a nap. I’ve got a stakeout tonight, remember?”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea tonight,” Asami says.

“Why? Those guys on the street? It didn’t look like they were targeting me. We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Well, we’ll know soon. Call me before deciding to head out for any reason today, okay?”

“Fine.” Akihito turns to the door again but then turns back to ask, “When are you going to be home?”

“I can come home for dinner, but then I’ll be working late. It’s a busy weekend at the clubs. Especially Dracaena.”

Akihito nods. “I’ll have dinner ready by seven then.”

“You need to rest. We’ll order something. Maybe sushi?” Asami suggests.

“Yay!” Akihito claps his hands in excitement.

Asami smiles. “Sushi it is. When are you leaving for the stakeout?”

“Nine.”

“I’ll be home by seven at the latest, then.”


	2. Refining the Beans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Kana and Akihito make chocolate, Asami determines whether the two thugs who attacked Akihito's guards on the street are related to the Takanaga group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (See the note on the first chapter for a summary of "Checklist" and "Takaba Akihito's Secret Part-Time Job," which this story draws from.)
> 
> Original Characters:  
> Kana: Takato's wife  
> Mari: Kou's girlfriend  
> Yoneda: Akihito's head security guard  
> Sakuragi: one of Akihito's guards  
> Saji: another of Akihito's guards  
> Koizumi: the judge who overturned the Takanaga leaders' conviction  
> Takanaga Seita: the chairman of the Takanaga group, just released from prison  
> Nanahara: a Sion corporate spy who framed Takanaga, now in Hong Kong  
> Amaya: female kitten, cries whenever Akihito's not in the room  
> Shiro: male kitten, curious, stubborn, energetic, and kind  
> Hitoshi: male kitten, clever, relatively obedient, patient  
> Momoe: the kittens' mother

When Akihito gets back to the kitchen from delivering Asami’s lunch, Kana is busy making onigiri for the two of them.

“Sorry about that,” Akihito says. “You should be resting.”

“I’m fine,” Kana says. “I told you, I just got up too fast. Don’t tell Takato, okay? I don’t want him worrying over nothing.”

Akihito eyes her suspiciously. “Shouldn’t you go see a doctor?”

“I already have. It’s fine.”

“Okay,” Akihito says, still skeptical. He decides that he’ll consult with Kou later.

Kana sighs. “Fine. I’ll tell Takato myself. Happy now?”

“Yep,” Akihito says.

He brings the plates to the table, and they eat a quick lunch. Just as they’re finishing, Asami enters the room to say goodbye.

After he’s gone, Kana squeals. “Akihito, he is such a hottie! I thought he was good-looking in his casual clothes, but the man knows how to wear a suit.”

Akihito shrugs. “I guess.”

“You guess?” Kana shakes her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe he won’t let you take his picture. Maybe if you buttered him up by telling him how hot he is…”

“He already knows. How could he not?” Akihito retorts.

Kana squeals again, and as he realizes the implication of what he just said, Akihito flushes.

“There’s no need to get embarrassed over that,” Kana says. “After all, he’s your boyfriend. Of course you think he’s hot.”

“Shall we start on the chocolate?” Akihito asks.

“Sure.”

They go into the kitchen and read the directions on the cocoa nibs.

“I think I’d like to watch a video of this first,” Akihito says.

“They have those?” Kana asks.

“Probably. The directions are a little vague, and a video would help us see what consistency we’re aiming for. And they sometimes have warnings about things that can go wrong.”

Akihito pulls out his phone. They watch a couple of videos in Japanese, but then Akihito finds a detailed video in English.

“Can you understand that?” Kana asks.

“Mostly,” Akihito says. “It’s got really nice, clear visuals.” He briefly explains each step as they watch the video.

Towards the end, he frowns as they explain how to re-temper chocolate that doesn’t solidify right. He rewinds and watches it again.

“What’s 122 degrees Fahrenheit in Celsius?” he asks.

“I don’t know,” Kana says. She reaches for her own phone, but Akihito starts searching for it on his.

He frowns again. “Huh. Maybe that video wasn’t accurate. A few other sites are saying to never heat your chocolate that high. So we don’t want to go above 50 degrees.”

“Okay.”

“Alright. We’d better get started. Let’s start with the Forastero nibs, since that’s what’s used in most chocolate, apparently.”

“Sounds good to me,” Kana says.

Akihito pulls out the food processor. “I’m going to grind the sugar separately first, so we can add it later and make both dark and milk chocolates. What kind of chocolate does your friend’s husband like?”

“He prefers milk. So does Takato.”

“I guess we should make some dark, for contrasting flavor and color.”

“And so you can make some for Asami-san.” Kana grins at him.

Akihito shrugs noncommittally.

Within a few minutes, the cocoa nibs have turned into chocolate liquor.

“This is so cool!” Kana squeals. “I didn’t think it’d be this easy!”

“It’s not chocolate yet,” Akihito warns her as she dips in a spoon and tastes it.

She makes a face. “I forgot we hadn’t added the sugar yet. It’s so bitter. And gritty. And… I don’t know, but it tastes off. Not just like unsweetened cocoa.”

“It says we should add the sugar, spices, etc. now, but we still have to conch it,” Akihito says. “And that takes a while. Depending on what things we want to add and how, we could add spices later.”

“How long does conching it take?” Kana asks.

Akihito looks at the recipe and his notes from his online research. “For a batch this big, the easiest method is to use a mixer, but it takes an hour.”

Kana raises her eyebrows. “And we have to do the dark and milk chocolate separately?”

Akihito frowns. He reads the descriptions on the three boxes of nibs again then checks something on his phone. “Criollo has the most complex flavors, but it can apparently make a subtler chocolate compared to Forastero’s stronger, less complex flavor. Trinitario is kind of halfway in between.”

“So… maybe we should use the Criollo for the dark chocolate, since we’ll be adding less stuff to it?” Kana suggests.

“That’s what I was thinking. I’m not sure we’ll have time to do all three batches.”

“We’ll save the Trinitario for last then,” Kana says.

They add the ingredients to turn the Forastero liquor into milk chocolate then pour it into the stand mixer.

“It says we should use an incandescent lamp to heat the bowl so the chocolate doesn’t start to solidify too soon,” Akihito says.

“Do you have one?” Kana asks.

“I’ve got a bunch of different lights in my room,” Akihito says. “But the cats are in there…”

“I’ll help keep them from escaping,” Kana says. “Will the chocolate be okay?”

“It should take a while to cool down. It’ll be fine on its own.”

Akihito opens the door slowly, sticking his foot into the crack as soon as it’s wide enough. He holds his free hand just above his foot, and Shiro slams his head right into Akihito’s palm, falling back to the floor. Akihito picks him up by his scruff and enters the room, opening the door only just wide enough to slip inside.

“Keep an eye on Hitoshi, too,” he warns Kana.

She enters the room as he did and closes the door behind her. She looks at Shiro shaking his head, apparently a little dazed from head-butting Akihito’s hand. “Poor guy,” she coos, rubbing his head.

“He’s fine,” Akihito says. “Serves him right.” He puts Shiro down, and Shiro immediately runs up to the door and jumps towards the doorknob.

Kana turns to watch him. “You have a baby-proof handle?”

“It’s a pain, but you saw how easily he can open doors,” Akihito explains. “He’s like a teenager, always testing his boundaries.”

“Sounds like the cat version of you.”

Akihito laughs. “I guess. I hadn’t really thought of it like that. I guess I should be more patient with him.” Akihito scoops up Amaya, who’s been pawing at him and crying since he entered the room.

“But she’s your favorite?” Kana guesses. “That’s Amaya, right?”

“Yeah. She’s a total sweetheart.” Akihito holds her to his chest with his left arm while he opens the closet door to pick out an appropriate lamp.

“Which one is Asami-san’s favorite?” Kana asks as she bends down to pet Hitoshi and Shiro, one with each hand. Her eyes roam the room, noting the lack of clothes in the closet Akihito opens. The right side of the room is walled off with a separate door, and it has two high latches. _That must be the darkroom. And Akihito-san used to have a real bed, not just a futon…_

“Shiro,” Akihito answers absentmindedly.

“The one that acts like you?” Kana laughs.

Akihito flushes. “We’re not that much alike,” he mutters. He pulls out a lamp. “I think this will do.”

“Your photography stuff has really taken over your room. Not to mention the cats,” Kana casually observes.

Akihito shrugs. “It’s only temporary.”

“That darkroom looks pretty permanent to me, so I don’t think your other photography equipment is going anywhere.”

“Well, it’s not…” Akihito says.

Kana notices a stack of photos on the desk. The top one shows the kittens curled up with Momoe, obviously very young. She picks up the stack and starts going through them.

“These are amazing,” she says. “You really captured their personalities, and the angles that you used – it’s like you’re taking them from another cat’s perspective.” She pauses at a picture of Shiro looking like he’s pouncing on the camera lens. “How did you even capture that?”

“I had a feather right in front of the camera, and I pulled it up at the last second. It was actually a photoburst, and that was the one shot that didn’t show the feather but also didn’t show the shift in Shiro’s attention.”

“Is this Asami-san?” Kana asks when she comes across a picture of Shiro sleeping in the crook of a muscular arm.

Akihito shrugs. “Yeah.”

“He’s naked again.” Kana smirks.

“He was wearing underwear!” Akihito protests.

Kana smirks harder. “Boxers or briefs?”

“None of your business,” Akihito snaps.

He reaches for the stack of photos, but Kana flips to the next one.

“Aww, Amaya-chan!”

The real Amaya meows in Akihito’s arms.

Kana holds up the picture next to the real Amaya. “She’s still adorable. When was this one taken?”

Akihito looks at the picture of Amaya scratching at the glass patio door, obviously meowing plaintively at Akihito on the other side. “Three weeks ago.”

“How did you avoid any glare or reflection?”

“A polarizing filter and an umbrella.”

“It would look cuter if she were on the patio…” Kana muses.

“No,” Akihito says shortly, snatching the picture from her.

Kana looks up in surprise.

“Sorry,” Akihito says. “They were attacked by a hawk on their owner’s balcony. The owner got injured falling trying to protect them, and the hawk caught their sister. Momoe was hurt pretty badly, too.” He shows Kana the scar on Momoe’s neck.

“That’s awful,” she says.

“Yeah. So I’m not going to let them outside. I let them go out on the enclosed balcony, though, when I’m working on my container garden.”

“You have a garden? What are you growing?”

“Right now, just some shiso, but I’m hoping to grow a few herbs and vegetables this summer. You grow some plants, right?”

“A few things. Shiso, mitsuba, radish sprouts, mizuna, nanohana, eggplants, peppers, and onions. I’m going to try strawberries this year, too.”

“Wow, that’s a lot. You’ll have to teach me how to grow those. Well, everything except the onions.”

“I’d love to take a look at your garden after we’re done with the chocolate.”

“Sounds good.” Akihito picks up another lamp and says, “Speaking of chocolate, we’d better get back to it.”

Akihito shines the light on the bottom of the bowl holding the milk chocolate as it conches in the mixer. He checks the timer on his phone. “It’s only been going ten minutes. Too bad we only have one mixer.”

“I guess we can’t start on the next one until the mixer’s nearly ready, huh?”

“Yeah. But we can get the molds and toppings ready.” He skims his notes again. “It says we should warm up the molds to the same temperature as the chocolate, but it doesn’t say how…”

“Maybe a space heater?” Kana suggests.

“Maybe…” Akihito says doubtfully. “But I think it might be too hot.”

“What about a water bottle?”

“Right!” Akihito claps his hands. He hurries to the storage closet outside his room. He roots around in one of his old boxes until he emerges with several large rice heat packs. “These stay warm for a long time without getting too hot. And I should have enough to help keep the chocolate warm, too, so we won’t have to retemper it.”

They start preparing the mix-ins for the chocolate: nuts (roasted, then either ground or finely chopped), vanilla extract, chopped dried fruit, citrus zest, cream, butter, whiskey, matcha, and espresso (which Akihito brews with as little water as possible). They set up the decorating chocolate pens in various colors before finally warming the molds.

Kana holds up the baby-themed molds. “There’s a lot of detail on some of these. Could we use the decorating pens on them before we pour the chocolate in?”

“I think we could if we were using regular chocolate, but it says on the pens to decorate afterwards. I’m not sure how hard they set, so it might not come out right,” Akihito says, reading the package. “But we can practice with the pens and see how easy they are to use.”

Kana tries writing on a sheet of wax paper. “Ooh, you can really write with them! I think maybe we should write the message on the plain chocolates, after all, especially since we’ve got yummy truffle fillings for the shells.”

“Sounds good,” Akihito says, shrugging.

By this time, there’s only ten minutes left until the milk chocolate batch is finished conching, so they start refining the dark chocolate.

“I think we should make it only 10% sugar. We can always mix it with the milk chocolate to make a sweeter dark chocolate,” Akihito suggests.

Kana tries to hide her smile. “If that’s the way Asami-san would like it best, sure.”

Akihito blushes.

“Oh, come on. It would be silly _not_ to make him some. At this point, he’s probably expecting them since you’re helping me make them.”

“You think?” Akihito asks.

“Duh! Wouldn’t you be, if Asami-san were helping his friend make chocolates today?”

“Asami would never do that!”

“Just imagine it. Sheesh.” Kana rolls her eyes.

 

Asami is _not_ helping his friend make chocolates today. He is at a warehouse helping two burly guys make chocolate in their pants.

“We’re sorry! We won’t bother stupid Valentine couples anymore!” one of the men whimpers.

Kirishima comes up to Asami and reports in a whisper, “Their IDs seem to be legitimate. They have no links to the Takanaga group or any other known group. Based on the testimonies of the eyewitnesses, they apparently really were targeting happy couples.”

Asami closes his eyes. He doesn’t know if he’s more annoyed by the fact that the men assumed Akihito was a couple with someone other than Asami or by the fact that they just wasted an hour of his time that should have been spent on the Takanaga situation.

“May I suggest you give them a voucher for one of Sakazaki’s hostess clubs?” Kirishima continues.

Asami smirks. Getting the men hooked on a hostess club will teach them an expensive lesson, and it will be a small, petty (and untraceable) revenge on the irksome Sakazaki.

“Do it,” he orders, heading for the door of the warehouse.

Kirishima nods to his assistant and follows Asami outside for the ride back to Sion.

 

The timer goes off for the milk chocolate, indicating that the conching is done, but Akihito and Kana are not quite done refining the dark chocolate yet.

“Will it go bad if we don’t take care of it right away? I don’t feel confident doing either the refining or tempering on my own,” Kana worries.

“You can’t overconch it. Chocolate factories conch it for _days_ , apparently.”

“Wow.”

“Go ahead and taste it, see if it’s ready.”

“How will I tell?”

“If it tastes good, it’s ready.”

Kana dips a spoon into the milk chocolate and takes a tentative taste. “Oh, wow, that’s amazing! It really tastes like chocolate!”

“You sound surprised,” Akihito says.

“It tasted so bad before. Here, taste this!” Kana grabs another spoon and thrusts it into Akihito’s mouth.

“Wow, that _is_ good.”

“That ‘off’ flavor is totally gone,” Kana says. “I was really worried.”

“That’s what conching is supposed to do, remove the weird flavors from fermenting and roasting.”

“Fermenting?” Kana asks, wrinkling her nose.

“Hey, it tastes good in the end, right? It’s like kimchee.”

“That’s disgusting. I’m going to pretend that you didn’t just compare chocolate to kimchee.”

Akihito shrugs. “Anyway, I’m glad it came out good. You can go ahead and move it onto the heat packs. This dark chocolate is nearly ready to be conched.”

Kana moves the milk chocolate to the counter next to the place they set up for tempering. “Are you sure you want to try that table-tempering method? It sounds complicated.”

“It’s apparently the only way to do it without adding already-tempered chocolate to it.” Akihito shrugs. “It seems a waste to contaminate our homemade chocolate with store-bought stuff.”

“That’s true,” Kana says. “And you said we can try to temper it again if it doesn’t work the first time, right?”

“Yep!” Akihito finishes setting the dark chocolate up for conching. He comes over and pours a third of the milk chocolate onto the marble countertop, then starts turning it with two pastry scrapers. “You want to try?” he asks Kana.

“I don’t want to mess it up,” she says.

“You won’t. It’s fun.” He hands her the scrapers.

“This _is_ fun.” She smiles.

Suddenly they hear a crash in Akihito’s room.

“Good. You’re in charge,” he tells her.

“How will I know when it’s done?” she asks.

“Stick a knife in it, then run your finger through the melted chocolate. If you get a clean line through the chocolate, it’s done, and you can pour it in with the rest and stir until I get back,” Akihito calls over his shoulder as he heads down the hall.

He returns five minutes later, just as Kana is pouring the tempered chocolate back into the bowl with the rest of it. “So this tempered stuff will make the rest tempered?” she asks.

“That’s the theory. We can test it by pouring some out and letting it cool for five minutes. Just keep stirring for now.” Akihito goes to the sink to wash his hands.

“Was everything alright in there?” Kana asks.

Akihito rolls his eyes as he dries his hands thoroughly. “Shiro figured out how to open the sliding closet door. He knocked over half the equipment in there. Thank goodness he didn’t break anything.”

“Wow. Are there child locks for those kinds of doors?”

“Probably. I barricaded it with some boxes for now. He’s bored. I wish I could let them out soon, but we don’t want cat hair in the chocolate.” He dips a spoon in the milk chocolate and lets it pool onto a piece of wax paper.

“You could close the kitchen doors,” Kana suggests.

“I can’t leave him unattended out in the main areas. He’s already torn down one set of blinds.”

“Wow, it’s like having a baby,” Kana says.

“In some ways. My room is – or at least _was_ – safe enough you could leave them unattended, and they can take care of themselves for a day or so. If Shiro weren’t too smart for his own good… The others are not that much trouble.”

“How much longer before they go back to their owner?”

“About three more weeks. The owner came home from the hospital last week, but she’s still using a walker, and it’d be dangerous to have kittens underfoot. I bring them down every day to visit her.” He casts a quick look at Kana. “That’s where my bed is, by the way. I lent it to Nakamura-san because she can’t use her futon until she heals.”

Kana raises her eyebrows. “Why are you telling me this?”

“I could tell you were wondering when we were in my room earlier.”

Kana grins impishly. “Well, it’s not like you were really using it, anyway, right?”

“Kana-san!” Akihito cries. Blood has instantly risen to the surface of every bit of skin showing above his shirt.

She snickers. “You don’t have to hide it. I saw your clothes in the closet of ‘Asami-san’s room,’ and your clothes from yesterday were still on the floor by your side of the bed.”

“You – seriously, that’s the kind of thing you don’t mention, even if you notice. That’s just common sense.”

“What’s the big deal? It’s normal for people to sleep in the same bed when they’re living together. I’m just trying to help you get used to it.”

“I don’t need to get used to it. I’m Japanese.”

“If you act all awkward about it, you’re just going to make other people feel awkward, you know. If you’re just like, ‘Yeah, I’m with Asami-san; what’s the big deal?’ other people won’t think it’s a big deal, either.”

“That’s not true. This is Japan.”

“It’s also the twenty-first century.”

“People still don’t like PDA.”

“We’re not talking about PDA. We’re talking about admitting that you’re in a relationship.”

“This isn’t one of your BL manga, Kana-san! The real world is not that accepting.”

“I’m not talking about the whole world, Aki-san. I’m talking about your friends – and maybe your family someday. Takato and I don’t go tiptoeing around trying to hide the fact that we share a room when you come over.”

“That’s different. You’re married.”

“Is it because you’re both men? Does that bother you?” Kana asks softly.

“No. I don’t even really think about that.” Akihito shrugs. It’s true; he hasn’t really worried about that since his first time with Asami. He was surprised when Kou told him that Kou knew Akihito was gay, but it was more like finding the missing piece of a puzzle and finally being able to understand the picture.

“Well, that’s good. I guess you’re just still getting used to being open about it. You hid it for a long time from us.”

“Sorry. Things were… weird.”

“You don’t have to explain. I’m just glad you finally feel comfortable being yourself. I’ll try not to tease you too much.” Kana gives him a hug.

“Thanks.”

“Hey, it’s been five minutes. Can we test it?”

The milk chocolate they poured out is smooth and shiny. Akihito picks it up and breaks it in half with a satisfying crack. “That sounded like ‘snap’ to me,” he says, grinning.

He hands Kana one of the pieces, and they taste it.

“Wow, this is the best chocolate I’ve ever had!” Kana squeals. “I can’t believe we _made_ this!”

“The truffle mixes need to chill before we can form them, so we should probably make those before pouring the molds,” Akihito says.

“I think I’d like to make some hazelnut and yuzu for Takato, and my friend’s husband likes coffee,” Kana says.

“Doesn’t Takato like coffee, too?” Akihito asks.

Kana shrugs. “Yeah, I guess. Doesn’t everyone?”

Akihito looks at her curiously but moves on. “We’ve also got the whiskey and matcha. We can mix and match milk and dark chocolate between the outside and inside of the shells.”

“You’re making coffee, whiskey, and matcha for Asami-san, right?” Kana asks. Without waiting for a reply, she adds, “So obviously we’ll make those in dark chocolate. So hazelnut and yuzu in the milk chocolate, right? And maybe…” She trails off as she eyes the ingredients. “We didn’t get any mint. My friend’s husband really likes chocolate mints.”

 _That’s funny; so does Takato,_ Akihito thinks but doesn’t say. He makes a mental note to check something on his phone after Kana leaves. He starts rummaging through the bottles in Asami’s wet bar. “We’ve got some crème de menthe. We can adjust the recipe for the whiskey ones.”

They make the truffle mixes and put them in the fridge to set, and then they pour chocolate into the molds.

“We should have gotten more truffle molds,” Kana says.

“Once these are set, we’ll take them out and make more. They don’t take too long.”

 

On the way back to Sion, Asami gets a phone call from Takanaga Seita, the chairman of the Takanaga group.

“Takanaga-san, I just heard that you’ve finally been released. I’m glad to hear it,” Asami says.

“Your network is as efficient as ever, Asami-san,” Takanaga says. “And yet it was remarkably slow six months ago.”

“I apologize. You know how corrupt and clandestine the government can be. I’m just glad we have a robust system of checks and balances to ensure justice is finally served, even if it’s a little late at times.” Asami treads carefully; you never know what conversations are being recorded.

“We were definitely set up, alright,” Takanaga says. “We were finally able to secure evidence that it was a police mole who forged the documents linking us to the smuggled weapons.”

“The police tried to frame you? I hope they have arrested the mole,” Asami says.

“I’m not sure. He seems to have disappeared. Either the government reassigned him, or karma finally took care of him.” Takanaga also chooses his words carefully.

“Well, I hope justice is finally served to him,” Asami says. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

“I was hoping I could reactivate my membership at Club Sion. I know there’s a long waiting list, but considering the circumstances and our long-standing acquaintance…” Takanaga trails off.

“Of course,” Asami says smoothly. “Please let me know when you wish to stop by, and I’ll come down to have a drink with you.”

After he hangs up, he sighs and looks out the window. _I miscalculated Takanaga’s influence. I didn’t think he’d be able to get out nearly so soon after the police found that massive shipment of smuggled weapons in his warehouse. We destroyed all evidence of the secret tunnel, so he can’t have found that, but if he figured out who forged the documents… But Nanahara’s true identity was a secret, and he could only be traced back to me if they caught him… Still, it’s worrisome. If Takanaga suspects the influence of_ any _group, he could start a war that could destabilize the current underworld balance. Does he really think the police are that competent? Is he really that naïve? Or is he just feeling everyone out, trying to narrow down his suspects?_

Kirishima allows Asami several minutes of rumination before saying, “What do you think, Asami-sama?”

“Where is Nanahara?” Asami asks.

“He’s in Hong Kong. I confirmed his whereabouts this morning.”

“Any idea who Takanaga suspects as the ‘police mole’?”

“No. We have to tread carefully so we don’t arouse suspicion. I’m setting up traces on his phones and e-mails, but it could take another 24 hours before they’re in place.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't write down the references I used for making chocolate, but they were all in the first page of an internet search.
> 
> The stages of chocolate-making are:  
> fermenting the beans (done where they are harvested)  
> roasting the beans  
> refining (grinding the cocoa nibs so that they turn into chocolate liquor)  
> conching (further processing the chocolate liquor to improve its texture and get rid of any undesired, weird flavors from fermenting and roasting)  
> tempering (cooling the chocolate in a manner that allows the chocolate to form a shiny, smooth, firm texture that breaks into pieces evenly -- a quality called "snap")
> 
> Depending on the equipment you're using, the additives to the chocolate (milk, sugar, flavorings) can be added at various stages: refining, before conching, just after conching, or even after tempering (for flavorings or mix-ins such as chopped fruits or nuts).
> 
> Once it is tempered, the chocolate is ready to use -- either adding it to recipes (such as truffle or ganache recipes) or pouring into molds. If it's held at the right temperature, it will remain tempered for several hours.
> 
> If you want to try making your own chocolates, two of the easiest ways to try are buying good chocolate that you can melt down and pour into molds or making truffles.


	3. Conching the Chocolate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kana and Akihito finally finish making their chocolate, but Asami's investigation of the Takanaga group only leads to further bafflement, and he can't shake the growing foreboding that something's wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (See the note on the first chapter for a summary of "Checklist" and "Takaba Akihito's Secret Part-Time Job," which this story draws from.)
> 
> Original Characters:  
> Kana: Takato's wife  
> Aikawa Mari: Kou's girlfriend  
> Yoneda: Akihito's head security guard  
> Sakuragi: one of Akihito's guards  
> Saji: another of Akihito's guards  
> Koizumi: the judge who overturned the Takanaga leaders' conviction  
> Takanaga Seita: the chairman of the Takanaga group, just released from prison  
> Nanahara: a Sion corporate spy who framed Takanaga, now in Hong Kong  
> Sakura Ao: an employee of the Takanaga group alleged to be a police mole  
> Amaya: female kitten, cries whenever Akihito's not in the room  
> Shiro: male kitten, curious, stubborn, energetic, and kind  
> Hitoshi: male kitten, clever, relatively obedient, patient  
> Momoe: the kittens' mother
> 
> yuzu: a Japanese citrus fruit  
> shacho-san: president  
> gyoza: dumplings  
> honmei choco: special chocolate for one's romantic partner or close friends/family (compared to giri choco, or "obligation chocolate" given to acquaintances, coworkers, etc.)  
> love-umbrella: similar to writing the initials of a couple inside of a heart, the names can be written under an umbrella to show that they're in love

 

Akihito hears his phone sound his “incoming text from Asami” alert at 2:30, but he’s elbow-deep in chocolate. They’ve divvied up the tasks: Kana, who’s more artistic, is decorating the finished chocolates, while Akihito, who’s more culinarily inclined, is continuing to prepare additional chocolates in various combinations.

Truffle mixes, truffle molds, solid chocolate molds, and filled truffle molds all require different amounts of time in the refrigerator. Too long, and the chocolate can become untempered. Too short, and the chocolate can become a mess. Akihito had to download a special timing app to keep track of it all. He’s also got little scraps of paper and tape to keep track of the various kinds of chocolate combinations. Asami would not appreciate a yuzu-milk-chocolate truffle filling inside a dark chocolate truffle, and no one but Asami would appreciate an all-90% dark chocolate truffle with a bitter filling.

At 3:30, Akihito has taken the last mold from the fridge. He seals the last batch of truffles closed and wipes his brow.

“Think we made enough?” he asks Kana.

They survey the counters covered in chocolate and laugh.

“We’ve got enough for my friend’s husband, Takato, Asami-san… and half your building,” Kana points out. She looks at how few are decorated and moans. “This is going to take forever!”

“Let’s take a break for now,” Akihito tells her. “You’re nearly done with the regular chocolates, which take longer. For the truffles, we can just add a little suggestion of what’s inside, or leave it plain. They’ll be quicker.”

He makes some green tea, and they go into his room to give the cats some attention while they drink it. Amaya crawls onto Akihito’s chest and goes to sleep. Hitoshi crawls into Kana’s lap, but Shiro sits half on top of him. Kana pets them both. Momoe sits in between Akihito and Kana, occasionally stretching to take turns licking everyone – human and feline – in the room.

Akihito remembers that he got a text and finally reads it.

_You nearly done with the chocolate?_

He messages back.

_We finished making them, but we’re taking a break before decorating them. Probably another hour._

He leaves the phone next to him, but he hasn’t gotten a response by the time they finish their tea. He tries not to worry. _Asami did say he’d be really busy at work today._

When they leave the room to finish the chocolates, Shiro somehow manages to wriggle out between Kana and Akihito.

“Head’s up!” Akihito cries in warning to Kana.

Shiro races down the hall past Asami’s room. Because most of the rooms are closed, his only choice will be the kitchen.

Kana starts to run after him, but Akihito warns her, “Don’t chase him. It’ll just make him crazier.”

He heads to the living room instead and picks up the bag of cat treats and shakes it. Shiro turns around and comes running towards him, but he pauses about ten feet away.

“Kana-san, can you please go to the kitchen and close the doors while I distract him?”

Akihito takes out a treat and holds it up in the air. Shiro eyes him warily, suspecting a trick. Kana walks down to the kitchen. Akihito sighs in relief when he hears the two kitchen doors close. Kana returns via the dining room, and Akihito puts the treat back in the bag.

“Like I’m giving you a treat when you’re misbehaving,” he tells Shiro.

Shiro turns his back to Akihito as if to say, “Like I care,” then runs off down the hall.

“Good. We can catch him more easily in the hallway,” Akihito says. He grabs a fishing pole-style toy with a feather on the end and leads Kana through the hall door. “Make sure you stay near that door. It’s not Shiro-proof.”

Akihito runs off down the hallway after Shiro. A moment later, he comes running back, trailing the fishing pole behind him. Shiro pounces on the feather, and Akihito pauses to let Shiro “kill” it.

“Good boy!’ Akihito praises him.

Shiro releases the feather, and Akihito runs off down the hall again. They go back and forth six times before Akihito finally picks Shiro up.

“Hopefully that’ll tire him out some,” he gasps.

He cracks his door just wide enough to fit Shiro inside. Amaya is right there, trying to come out to greet him, and Hitoshi tries to jump over Amaya’s back to escape.

Kana laughs as she sticks her hands in the crack, helping to hold back the two others while Akihito fits the squirming Shiro through the crack. “I see what you mean about two escaping while you get one in,” she says.

They manage to pull the door closed without any more cats escaping.

 

Asami leaves his security briefing on the Takanaga situation more confused than ever. Judge Koizumi has a reputation as a fair, honest judge with not even a whisper of any misconduct or undue influence. The proceedings for the Takanaga appeal contain ample evidence of documents having been forged by an employee named “Sakura,” along with an e-mail trail tying Sakura to the police. Interestingly, the evidence is not related to the actual documents forged by Nanahara.

The evidence from Asami’s spy in the prison corroborated the court documents: Takanaga has been muttering about “Sakura” in his sleep for the past two weeks. And Nanahara’s Takanaga corporate records from before the raid show a Sakura Ao in the IT department with sufficient access to have created the false document trail.

_Could someone else have been trying to set Takanaga up? But how did they know about the weapons planted in the warehouse? Or was Takanaga dumb enough to really use the warehouse connected to his own building for his smuggling operation, and did I frame him for nothing?_

Asami sighs and pulls his phone from his pocket to turn the volume back on. He sees the response from Akihito and smiles.

_Don’t work too hard._

He hesitates. Is it safe for Akihito to go on his stakeout tonight? Asami has this nagging feeling that Akihito should stay home. But so far, there’s no evidence that Takanaga is targeting Asami, much less Akihito.

_You need to rest before your stakeout._

_I know! Does this mean you finally realized those thugs were just plain old random thugs?_

_Yes, but still be careful._

Asami’s phone plays “Youkai Taisou Daiichi.” He groans. Obviously Akihito has changed his special ringtone again, and Asami will have to ask Kirishima once again to reset it. He swipes to answer it to stop the song, then raises it to his ear.

“You changed my ringtone again,” he accuses.

“That way you know it’s me calling,” Akihito explains.

“And what if I was in a business meeting?”

“You weren’t. Unless you’re in the habit of texting during business meetings, shacho-san, but that would be a terrible example for your employees. Besides, don’t you know to silence your phone before a meeting?”

Asami sighs. “Still. Can’t you let me choose something a bit more…”

“But you knew instantly it was me, right?” Akihito presses. There’s a voice in the background, and then Akihito says in a muffled tone, “It’s the Youkai Watch song.”

“Kana-san is still there?” Asami asks.

“Yes, we’ve just about finished making the chocolates, but we didn’t buy boxes to put them in.”

“So you’re calling to make sure it’s safe? Thanks for remembering,” Asami says.

“Uh, no.” There’s a pause, followed by a muffled “Just a second,” and the sound of footsteps and a door closing. “What’s up? I thought you were just busy because it’s Valentine’s weekend, but you sent the car before those thugs showed up, and you’ve been on edge all day.”

_He’s getting even sharper._ Akihito has always been sharp, but now he’s apparently able to pick up on Asami’s mood via text. _I can’t hide anything from him._ Asami sighs. “The leaders of the Takanaga group were all released from prison today. You covered that story, right?”

“Takanaga? The ones caught smuggling a whole boatload of illegal weapons?” Akihito gives a low whistle. “How’d they manage to weasel out of that one? The evidence against them was overwhelming.”

“And you were the only journalist to cover the raid,” Asami points out.

“Yeah, but that’s no big deal. By the time they got to the jail for processing, other reporters were already on the case, and the whole trial was covered by _everybody_. I doubt they even realized I got that exclusive footage of the raid.”

“What if it turns into the Kurosaki situation?”

“How would it? The police weren’t even looking at Kurosaki until I exposed him. This is totally different. And Kurosaki was insane.”

There’s a brief silence. Asami knew the excuse was feeble, but he doesn’t want to share the real reason for his concern.

Akihito breaks the silence. “There’s more to this than that, isn’t there? Something else is making you worried.”

Asami sighs again. _He’s way too sharp_. “Right now, it’s just a gut feeling,” he says, which is true enough.

“I thought you were the kind of person who wanted evidence,” Akihito says.

“Instinct _is_ a form of evidence. Obviously it needs corroboration, but sometimes your subconscious can detect things that don’t make it to your conscious mind, and it likes to speak in gut feelings. I’ve learned to pay attention.”

“Okay. Thanks for telling me. I’ll be careful tonight, okay? You be careful, too.”

“Alright. I might be a bit later than I thought, so take a long nap, okay? I’ll definitely be home by 8:15. And remember, I’m ordering sushi – unless there’s something you’d rather eat.” _I can at least make sure Akihito is well-rested and more alert for his stakeout._

There’s a slight pause. “No, sushi is great!”

“Akihito…” Asami says.

“Asami…” Akihito mimics.

“What do you _really_ want to eat? Just tell me.”

Akihito sighs. “Sushi is great, really! I just wonder how come it seems like you can read my mind lately. I’ve had a hankering for my mom’s gyoza lately. I think it’s because I didn’t have time to go home for New Year’s. But it’s not like I can get that anywhere but at my parents’ house, and I love sushi.”

“Alright. I’ll get sushi then. You want me to order a side of gyoza, too?”

“Nah. It won’t be as good as my mom’s, but thanks for the offer. Anyway, I’m heading to the store to buy boxes for the chocolates,” Akihito says.

“Did you check the pantry?” Asami asks. “There should be some in there from things I’ve received.”

“Okay, I’ll check there first. Work hard.”

“You, too. Oh, and you and Kana-san might be interested in the Dracaena Debut tonight.”

 

Akihito picks up his dirty clothes next to the side of the bed before heading back to the kitchen.

“Asami said there are probably boxes in the pantry. Could you help me look for them?”

He leads the way into the pantry, and Kana gawks. “I think you guys have more square meters of storage than Kou had total in his old place.”

Akihito shrugs. “Probably, but that’s not very hard.”

They find an array of gift-wrapping supplies neatly organized on one of the shelves towards the back.

“I think these should be good,” Kana says, pulling out some plain white boxes. She hands them to Akihito and examines the collection of ribbons next to it. She pulls out some red and pink ribbons. “Can we use these, too?”

“I guess.” Akihito gives her a quizzical look that says _Why would you want to?_

Kana laughs. “You really need some help in the romance department. You’re so clueless.”

Akihito rolls his eyes. “I don’t get the point of all that stuff.”

“It’s to make the other person feel special.”

“The homemade chocolate’s not enough? You need a ribbon on the box, too?”

“Of course the chocolates are the main thing, but the ribbon is just that extra touch that shows on the outside how much effort went into the inside.”

“It still seems like the chocolate should be enough by itself.”

“Gift-giving is one of the languages of love, you know,” Kana says sagely.

“Yeah, I know. But it’s not one of mine. And it’s not one of Asami’s, either.” Akihito is focused on packing chocolates into a box for Asami. “Is twelve too many?” he wonders. “They only last a week.”

“That’s less than two a day,” Kana points out. “You know about the love languages?”

Akihito shrugs. “Yeah. Asami and I saw a therapist for a while, and she made us take the assessment.”

“What are your love languages?”

“Quality time was first with words of affirmation second and –” Akihito stops abruptly. Two is enough to share. He quickly changes tack. “Asami’s are –” He stops again. He does _not_ want to tell Kana about that love language for either of them.

But she’s already figured it out. “It’s physical touch, isn’t it?” she squeals, grinning. “And that’s your third one, isn’t it?”

Akihito can feel his face burning. “How many truffles do you want to put in the box for your friend’s husband? And what kinds? I think you’d better arrange the chocolates.”

“Oh, come on, Aki-san. It was obvious. He can’t keep his hands off you.”

“Kana-san!”

“I don’t necessarily mean in a sexual way; he just likes to touch your shoulder or your cheek or even your hand. There’s nothing wrong with that. What are his other ones?”

“Acts of service and quality time.”

“So you guys have a lot in common. That’s good. Takato’s primary language is gifts, actually, with physical touch second.”

“I can see that,” Akihito says, thinking of all the times Takato has brought something small to give to Akihito ‘just because.’

“Mine is acts of service and gifts. I guess these chocolates are a bit of both, huh?” Kana artfully arranges the chocolates for her friend’s husband.

“Yeah.”

“So I guess I can see why the ribbon’s not that important to you.” Kana starts putting chocolates in the container for Takato.

“I think you might have gotten a bit mixed up, Kana-san,” Akihito says. “You said you were making the mint ones for your friend’s husband and the yuzu ones for Takato, but you put yuzu ones for the husband and no mints, and mints but no yuzu for Takato.” He smirks but tries to hide it.

“Oh, right. Thanks for pointing that out,” Kana says, flustered. She rearranges the chocolates. “There!”

They look down at the boxes.

“That’s kind of a lot, isn’t it?” Kana asks as she looks at the chocolates in her friend’s husband’s box.

“Hopefully he really likes chocolate. And he can share them with her, too, right?”

“I suppose. But what should we do with the rest?” Kana eyes the piles of chocolate still left unboxed.

Akihito looks at them, too. “I could give some to my guards.” He goes back into the pantry and pulls out some smaller boxes. He places six truffles (one of each kind) in each box.

“How many guards do you have?” Kana asks, raising her eyebrows.

“I made extras for Asami's secretary, his chief of security, and the receptionists downstairs. There are eight on my guard team. It kind of depends on what I’m doing. My work schedule is so erratic, there’s always at least one person on duty. If I’m on a stakeout, I might have three or four keeping me safe.”

“That makes sense.” Kana smirks.

“I was just fine before I had any,” Akihito points out.

Kana purses her lips. “No, you weren’t, actually. Not with what Takato’s told me. And he says you don’t even tell him the half of it.”

_And you guys can’t know that the reason I need so many guards has more to do with Asami’s job than mine_. He sighs. Time to change subjects. “Should we make a box for Kou? Mari-san said she can’t cook, and I don’t want to show up her honmei choco.”

“Kou isn’t the kind who will compare,” Kana says thoughtfully, “but we don’t want to make Mari-san feel bad. I guess we should have invited her.”

Akihito doesn’t say anything. He and Asami have agreed that only the spouses – not the girlfriends – of Akihito’s closest friends will be welcome at the penthouse. Asami thinks it’s too dangerous for too many people to know they’re living together.

“You like Mari-san, don’t you?” Kana asks.

“Of course! I wish we could have invited her, too. But it’s too late now.”

“We could offer her some to give to Kou…” Kana says tentatively.

“But she might be insulted.” Akihito sighs. “What if you taught her how to decorate some of the ones we left plain? You have time tomorrow, right?”

“I’ll at least make the offer, though it is rather last minute.”

 

After they’ve cleaned up the kitchen, Kana inspects Akihito’s shiso plant and seedlings.

“Nothing’s sprouted yet,” Akihito worries.

“How long has it been since you planted them?”

“Three days.”

“You’re doing everything right. They just need more time. Let me know if they don’t sprout in the next week. And I’ll bring over some of my extra pepper plants for you.”

“Thanks!”

When they go back inside, Akihito’s phone is buzzing. There’s a text from Kou.

_Watch the Dracaena Debut tonight!_

Akihito glances at the clock. “Oh. Both Kou and Asami want us to watch the Dracaena Debut. I wonder what’s up.” He flips on the television.

Every weekend, Club Dracaena projects a slide show or video on the screens that cover the outside of the building to advertise their current theme night. The first was an advertising campaign by Akihito that showed a story in twenty-four photos that played out over two hours. The local news has taken to showcasing Dracaena’s artistic teasers.

Tonight, the headline is “Mangaka Aikawa Mari lights up Dracaena with three romances for Valentine’s Day.”

“That’s Mari-san, right?” Kana cries.

“Yeah, I think so!”

They watch as the story unfolds in pictures:

The sun is shining through parted clouds, but puddles indicate a recent rain. A girl on a train sees a boy leave his pink umbrella behind. She grabs the umbrella and hurries after the boy, but when the girl turns to get back on the train, the doors close before she can. She huddles on the small platform waiting for the next train, obviously cold.

The boy goes into a convenience store and sees that the girl has missed the train, so he buys a hot coffee from the clerk and goes back to give it to the girl. Meanwhile, he’s left his umbrella _again_ , so the clerk comes hurrying after him. A taxi driver honks and flies through a puddle, splashing the clerk. The taxi stops, and the female passenger gets out. She hands a tissue to the clerk, which doesn’t help much.

The female manager of the convenience store comes outside to yell at the clerk, but the taxi passenger stands up for him. Meanwhile, a boy out for a jog sees the umbrella in the street and picks it up. He asks whose it is and walks across to the train station to hand it to its owner.

The umbrella owner thanks him and goes back to thank the clerk, and the jogger stays to chat with the girl on the platform until the next train arrives. It starts to rain again, and the girl shares her own blue umbrella with the jogger.

The umbrella owner tells the manager he wants to thank the clerk for returning the umbrella. She tells him the clerk is in the employee area, getting ready to go home and change. The umbrella owner walks the clerk home, sharing his umbrella.

Meanwhile, the taxi passenger who was challenging the manager for her meanness softens when she sees the manager has allowed the clerk to go home and change. When a sudden rush of customers comes from a tour bus, the passenger helps the manager handle the sales. The manager and the taxi passenger stand under a green umbrella, saying goodbye to the tour bus.

The little saga ends with the message. “Love can happen like a bolt from the blue. Give love a chance at Club Dracaena this weekend.” The three couples from the story appear in love-umbrellas, and then a thousand paper umbrellas in blue, pink, and green are shown falling onto the dance floor of Dracaena.

“It’s a rain theme, and the drink umbrellas will be color-coded to indicate relationship status,” the announcer reports.

“That was _amazing_!” Kana squeals. “How did Mari-san put that together so quickly? When we met her, she said she was working on her first story for her debut in a magazine. At least I thought it was a magazine.” She frowns.

“Asami owns Club Dracaena. I know he was giving her ideas, and he must have been impressed with her work,” Akihito says. “I can see why,” he adds.

Kana gapes at him. “He _owns_ Dracaena?!”

“Well, technically, Asami’s _company_ owns Dracaena.”

“So you could get me on the list?”

“No. But _Asami_ might put you on the list.”

“Like I could ask him!”

“Even if you don’t ask him directly, that’s still who you’d be asking…” Akihito points out. “Anyway, I’ve got to call Kou.”

But Kou’s line is busy, so Akihito sends him a congratulatory text to pass along to Mari.

Akihito shows Kana to the door, lets the cats out of his room, feeds them, and heads to bed. He glances at the clock. 5:30. He can nap for two hours if he wants to shower before Asami gets home.

 

Kirishima pulls the car up to the curb of Asami’s residence at 6:30. Asami steps out and rides the elevator up. He opens the door as silently as possible. Shiro comes running down the hall towards him. He obviously spent way too much time cooped up in Akihito’s room today. Asami grabs the fishing pole toy with the feather and trails it behind him as he heads to the bedroom.

He peeks in to see Akihito in a deep sleep. _He looks exhausted._

Asami picks up Akihito’s phone. Apparently Akihito fell asleep while researching something. Asami checks the alarm. _He set it for forty-five minutes before I said I’d be here. I figured as much._ Asami resets the alarm to go off at 8:00. He changes out of his suit in the dark, pulling on his robe. He hangs the suit at the front of the closet, ready to change back into it when it’s time for him to head back to work.

He leads Shiro back out of the bedroom to the kitchen. He wants to surprise Akihito by cleaning up, but Akihito has already cleaned everything. _Of course he did._ Akihito would rather forgo sleep than leave a mess. Asami empties the dishwasher that’s just finished running.

The kitchen does smell of chocolate, but somehow it smells good. Asami heads into the living room, pulling a legal pad from his briefcase. He scribbles his thoughts on the paper, taking long moments to think between writing. After half an hour, he reviews what he’s written, tears the page from the pad, and scrunches it up, placing it back inside his briefcase. He repeats this process twice more before Akihito’s alarm goes off.

When he hears the alarm, Asami shoves the legal pad back into his briefcase and snaps it shut. Right on cue, the receptionist calls to announce the sushi delivery.

“Asami, what did you do? You reset my alarm again, didn’t you?” Akihito grouses, emerging from the bathroom.

“You needed the sleep.”

“I also need a shower.”

“You need to eat. The sushi is here.”

Akihito perks up at the announcement. He comes over and sits in Asami’s lap, giving him a kiss. “Welcome home.”

“I’m home.” Asami tries to deepen the kiss, but Akihito tries to get up to get to the sushi.

“Sit with me,” Asami coaxes.

Akihito curls up next to Asami, and they begin to eat.

“Did you do something to piss the Takanaga group off?”

“Not that they know about,” Asami says cryptically. _At least that_ I _know about._

Akihito sighs.

“What about you? Got something to tell me?”

Akihito furrows his eyebrows.

“Early pregnancy symptoms?”

“Just doing some fact-checking,” Akihito says cryptically.

 

Asami heads back to Sion when Akihito leaves for his stakeout. His sense of foreboding has only grown stronger, but there’s no logical basis for it, so he merely says, “Be careful, okay? I’ll see you later.”

“You be careful, too,” Akihito says. They kiss goodbye before exiting the apartment (at Akihito’s insistence, to spare the guards – and himself – some embarrassment).

 

At midnight, Asami has just come back upstairs from a round of greeting guests on the floor at Club Sion when Kirishima rushes into his office carrying a gift box.

Asami raises his eyebrows in surprise. His office is inundated with gifts at this time of year, but Kirishima catalogs them and sends the requisite thank-yous and reciprocal gifts.

“It’s from Fei Long,” Kirishima explains. “Delivered from a store here in Tokyo.”

Asami carefully undoes the ribbon and lifts the lid of the box. Inside are six rectangular chocolates in a row. The chocolates are arranged so that they alternate, one standing tall, one lying lengthwise, from left to right.

Asami frowns at it, muttering. “Tall, long, tall, long, tall, long. Takanaga, Takanaga, Takanaga.” With a sick feeling of comprehension, he gasps at Kirishima, his voice raspy with panic, “Where’s Akihito?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The name "Takanaga" is written with the kanji for "tall" and "long." I had no idea Fei Long was going to be in this story until that moment! I wonder how Akihito will feel when he finds out Fei Long gave Asami chocolates before he did...


	4. Tempering the Chocolate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akihito discovers that his stakeout is a trap. Can he escape from Fei Long? And what about those chocolates Asami received from Fei Long?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The best laid plans... I was really hoping to finish this mini-fic by Valentine's Day, but real life + the boys not cooperating = this chapter took nearly a week to write. Hopefully the rest will come more quickly. (I think there are 2-3 more chapters left... but what do I know? A lot less happened in this one than I was expecting -- but then again, some things happened sooner than I was expecting, too.)
> 
> (See the note on the first chapter for a summary of "Checklist" and "Takaba Akihito's Secret Part-Time Job," which this story draws from.)
> 
> Original Characters:  
> Kana: Takato's wife  
> Aikawa Mari: Kou's girlfriend  
> Yoneda: Akihito's head security guard  
> Sakuragi: one of Akihito's guards  
> Saji: another of Akihito's guards  
> Koizumi: the judge who overturned the Takanaga leaders' conviction  
> Takanaga Seita: the chairman of the Takanaga group, just released from prison  
> Nanahara: a Sion corporate spy who framed Takanaga, now in Hong Kong  
> Sakura Ao: an employee of the Takanaga group alleged to be a police mole  
> Amaya: female kitten, cries whenever Akihito's not in the room  
> Shiro: male kitten, curious, stubborn, energetic, and kind  
> Hitoshi: male kitten, clever, relatively obedient, patient  
> Momoe: the kittens' mother

Akihito clenches and unclenches the muscles in his legs and wiggles his toes inside his sneakers. It’s crucial to stay utterly still on a stakeout, but it’s equally crucial to keep your muscles warm so you can run if you need to. He’s lying on the roof of a one-story building across the harbor from where the meeting is supposed to take place. His source only gave him the time and location, but only smugglers tend to meet at the docks at this time of night.

Akihito checks his watch again. It’s fifteen minutes past the time. Was he sent on another wild goose chase? He sighs as he peers through his binoculars again.

There’s a car making its way along the drive next to the water. Akihito drops his binoculars and picks up the camera that’s already focused and ready to go. The car comes to a stop next to Warehouse 14. A man gets out, and Akihito gasps.

Takanaga Seita?

Asami said Takanaga was released from prison today, and Akihito confirmed that the judge only signed the documents this morning. But Akihito’s tip was received last evening.

Who could have known yesterday that Takanaga would be released _today_? The Japanese justice system moves quickly: a ruling is issued and implemented immediately. Even prisoners on death row aren’t told they’ll be executed until a few hours beforehand.

Akihito watches another car turn onto the drive from between Warehouses 16 and 18. The car stops ten feet from the first. A man gets out of the second car, long hair billowing in the breeze.

Akihito freezes.

A loud thumping sound echoes in his ears.

It takes a moment to realize it’s his heartbeat.

The edges of his vision start to blur.

He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. _What did Kurebayashi-sensei say to do when I feel a flashback coming on?_

But this is no flashback. The adrenaline coursing through his veins is a screaming claxon warning of very real danger.

Akihito continues to breathe slowly. He counts to ten.

Again.

He realizes his fingers are moving automatically, capturing the scene.

He should inform Yoneda, but there is no code for “Fei Long is in Japan.” They never imagined they’d need one.

He considers turning on his cell phone but decides it’s too risky. The faint glow of the screen could be enough to give his location away. That’s why he has the modified watch; he can press the button and send a signal to his guards without activating any lights or sounds on the watch itself. Of course, the single button means they’re dependent on a simple code:

One push = I need back-up now!

Two pushes = I need a diversion so I can escape.

Three pushes = I’m leaving via the planned route.

None of those codes applies to the current situation. He’s frozen to the rooftop. He’s certain that the slightest movement will be enough to draw Fei Long’s attention. He’s worried that his gaze alone will be enough to draw Fei Long’s attention, but he can’t pull his eyes away from the source of many of his nightmares.

_What is he doing in Japan? Does Asami know he’s here?_

No. There’s no way Asami knows, or he would have told Akihito.

He should tell Asami.

But Akihito suddenly remembers what happened the last time he gave Asami Fei Long’s whereabouts.

_No. I won’t be stupid; I’ll keep my distance. Asami won’t get shot._

Akihito closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He opens his eyes again and focuses on capturing Fei Long’s activity with his viewfinder.

_He’s scanning around like he’s looking for somebody._

Akihito freezes.

 _He’s looking for_ me _._

Fei Long was his source. This is a trap.

Akihito is ready to bolt, but he forces himself to lie still. Takanaga gestures back towards his car, and another man comes out with a briefcase. He opens it to show Fei Long the contents.

Akihito can’t see what’s inside the briefcase from his angle, and anyway, there’s no way these pictures will be accepted by the paper. He snaps a few more pictures, as he slowly wriggles backwards. Once he can no longer see the men, he turns around and wriggles to the far side of the building, not daring to even get up high enough to crawl.

He stashes his camera back in his bag, pushes his watch button three times, and grasps the ledge on the edge of the roof. Akihito swings his legs over, hangs from the edge, and drops to the ground.

He pauses in the shadow of the building, watching for any sign of movement. He edges sideways to the dumpster, where Yoneda is standing guard.

As soon as Yoneda sees him, Yoneda visibly relaxes. He gestures for Akihito to follow him, but Akihito puts a hand on Yoneda’s shoulder to stop him.

He needs to warn Yoneda. He opens his mouth, but no sound comes out. On the third try, he’s finally able to whisper a single word. “Fei Long.”

Yoneda eyes him sharply. “Does he know you’re here?”

Akihito nods. “I think he was my source.”

“We’re evacuating by water then.” Yoneda gives hasty orders over the radio to the other guards. “It’s a good thing Asami-sama increased the detail for tonight,” he says grimly, eying his watch. “When I give the command, follow me as fast as you can.”

There’s a sound of an explosion from behind them, across the water close to Fei Long and Takanaga.

“Now!” Yoneda barks.

Akihito follows him, sprinting across the road, between two other warehouses, and to the water’s edge. A skiff is waiting below, and the motor roars to life as they drop into it.

Another boat at the end of their pier starts pursuing them, but they’ve got a huge head start, and it’s only 200 meters to their destination. Yoneda pushes Akihito’s head between his legs.

“Stay down!” he shouts over the roar of the engine. “And put this on!” He hands Akihito a bulletproof vest.

Akihito complies as Yoneda dons a bulletproof vest of his own. They strap helmets to their heads as the boat reaches the dock. They scramble up to the waiting car, which races towards the main road. Another vehicle turns out onto the road a quarter mile behind them, but they’re able to get through the toll plaza and lose themselves in the sea of cars on the expressway before the pursuing car can close the gap.

Yoneda is talking nonstop on his cell phone and radio, but Akihito isn’t paying any attention. He focuses on breathing again. He counts to ten. Again.

“Asami-sama wishes to talk to you,” Yoneda says, holding out his phone towards him.

Akihito takes it and holds it to his ear automatically, not really processing Yoneda’s words.

“Akihito?”

Akihito finally snaps out of his daze at the sound of Asami’s voice. Somehow just hearing it makes him feel safe. “Yes. I’m here.”

“How are you?”

“I’m fine. Fei Long was meeting with Takanaga. Takanaga handed him a briefcase, but I couldn’t see what was inside it. We might be able to tell if we zoom in on the pictures.”

“How are you emotionally?”

“I’m fine,” Akihito says again quickly.

“You’re coming directly to Sion. I’ve asked Kurebayashi-sensei to come here, too, if you wish to talk to her.”

Akihito sighs. “I don’t know what good that will do. I’d rather focus on figuring out what Fei Long is up to.”

“I think I’ve got that figured out. I’ll brief you once you get here. You remember that code I gave you, right?”

Akihito thinks for a moment. “The one you said to memorize but never tell anyone, not even Kirishima-san?”

“Yes.”

“I remember it.”

“Good. Use that when Yoneda tells you to.”

 

Asami releases a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding when he hears his private elevator whirring. He strides forward as one of the bookcases in his office moves aside. Akihito stumbles out of the tiny elevator, and Asami wraps his arms around him, pulling him close.

“You’re safe,” Asami whispers.

“So are you.”

Asami furrows his brow, but comprehension dawns when Akihito places his hand over Asami’s shoulder where the circular scar is.

 _I can’t touch your wounds; they’re too deep. Have they healed yet?_ Asami wonders. He squeezes Akihito tighter.

Their moment is interrupted by Suoh clearing his throat. When they separate, Asami leads Akihito by the hand to his chair behind the desk. Asami sits and tugs on Akihito’s hand, trying to get him to sit on his lap.

“I’m good,” Akihito protests. “I’ll just sit over –”

“Show us your pictures,” Asami says, gesturing towards his computer.

“Oh.” Akihito still doesn’t get why he has to sit on Asami’s lap, but it _is_ Asami’s chair, so he can’t exactly ask Asami to get out of it. He half-squats, trying not to put all his weight on Asami’s legs.

“I received a tip at 7:30pm yesterday that a meeting would take place outside Warehouse 14 tonight at midnight. The court order releasing Takanaga Seita and his management team was signed at 6:00am today, and they were released at 8:00am. Needless to say, I was surprised to see that the meeting for which I was tipped off last night involved Takanaga-san…” Akihito shows the first images of Takanaga’s car.

“Can you zoom in on the license plate?” Kirishima asks.

Akihito zooms in. The image is grainy, but he makes some adjustments using the photo-editing software. Only the left part of the plate is visible due to the angle of the photograph. “It looks like the plate might have been issued in Nerima,” Akihito says. He frowns and makes a few more adjustments. “And judging by the hiragana, it looks like it’s a rental car.”

As Akihito works, Asami pulls him back so that he’s sitting properly on his lap. Since everyone else’s attention is focused on the images on the overhead projector and he’s trying to concentrate, Akihito ignores it.

Akihito moves through the other photos he took. “The windows are heavily tinted, but it looks like there were at least two other people in Takanaga’s car. There’s someone in the front passenger seat here, and obviously there was a driver. It’s hard to tell because of the darkness, but there’s no indication that anyone else was in the back seat.”

Akihito can feel something starting to press into his backside. He resolutely ignores it as he continues. “And here’s the second car. I was able to get a full shot of the license plate. Note the diplomat designation. There’s obviously a driver and a front passenger. And as Fei Long steps out, you can see that there is one other person in the backseat as well.”

As he continues to move through the photos, Akihito can feel his own body stirring in response to Asami’s. He tries to focus on his task, hoping things will calm down. _How can Asami just sit there so calmly while he’s so… Arrgghhh!_

Akihito continues, “Note that Fei Long is looking around. He seems to be focusing on the rooftops and points across the water rather than on the shadows nearest to him.”

“He’s obviously not worried about Takanaga,” Suoh notes. “He would never take his eyes off him for a moment if he were.”

“And here the front passenger in Takanaga’s car brings him the briefcase. Fei Long never gave them anything,” Akihito explains. He zooms in on the briefcase when Takanaga opens it to show the contents to Fei Long. After several minutes of adjustments, it appears to be filled with stacks of green and white paper.

“Could be American dollars,” Asami says. “I wish it were clearer.”

“He didn’t open the briefcase very much or for very long,” Akihito says apologetically.

Asami grasps Akihito’s hips and shifts their position, causing Asami’s hardness to press more firmly against Akihito’s backside. Akihito pinches Asami’s thigh with his left hand, hard, as a signal to knock it off. Asami pinches Akihito’s left hip in return.

The next few photos are taken from an increasing distance, though they’re still focused and centered on Fei Long and Takanaga.

“At that point, after realizing Fei Long was scanning the distance, I suspected a trap and decided to retreat,” he finishes apologetically.

“You made the right decision,” Asami tells him. “Yoneda has already reported on the pursuit. It certainly seems like it was a trap; I suppose Fei Long didn’t anticipate you having access to boats, assistants, and multiple vehicles.”

“How’s my scooter?” Akihito asks.

“Unfortunately, we had to leave it where it’s parked, but the transponder indicates that it hasn’t been moved,” Yoneda answers.

“What about Saji-san? He did the diversion, right? Is he alright?” Akihito feels terrible that he’s only thought to ask this question now.

“Yes, Takaba-sama, everyone managed to escape just fine. We put together a good plan.”

“Thank you, Yoneda-kun. Your team did very well,” Asami says before changing topics. “I received a message from Fei Long at 11:45, and Yoneda had already been instructed to stop the mission, but he had no way to notify you. We need to remedy that.”

Akihito stands up and turns around to face Asami. “Fei Long sent you a message?! What did it say?” He leans against the desk, crossing his legs and strategically blocking the others’ view of his lap with his arm.

Asami crosses his own legs and drapes an arm over the arm of his chair. “It was a code. It was six… rectangular blocks… arranged tall, long, tall, long, tall, long. Takanaga.”

“Blocks? Like kids play with? What color were they? Was there a note? Anything written on the blocks? Anything _inside_ the blocks? How’d you know it was from Fei Long?”

“There was a to/from message,” Kirishima explains, pulling up a picture of the note.

Akihito looks at it. “Why is it _pink_? And I didn’t know Fei Long had such girly handwriting.”

Yoneda snickers but quickly tries to regain his composure.

“Can I see it? Maybe there’s more to the message,” Akihito says.

“I rather doubt that…” Asami says. “But my experts are analyzing it as we speak.”

Kirishima levels his gaze at Asami. “Asami-sama, Takaba-kun brought up an excellent point. We haven’t checked inside the blocks for any additional message. Given the adeptness he demonstrated during the Kurosaki situation, I think it would be better to allow him to examine the message. Especially considering the significant amount of time he’s spent with the sender of the message.”

“Fei Long has never been known for his subtlety,” Asami demurs.

“Ryuichi.” Suoh is the one challenging Asami this time. “I think you might be allowing personal feelings to get in the way of your judgment here. Kei is right.”

Asami sighs. “Fine,” he says, waving his hand dismissively. “Bring it in.”

Kirishima goes to his office to retrieve the message.

Akihito eyes the red box with pink bow skeptically. “It looks like a Valentine’s present.”

“Well, yes, it ended up with the other Valentine’s gifts, but as soon as the name was read, it was brought directly to me,” Kirishima says. “We’re not sure exactly when it arrived.”

Akihito takes the lid off the box. “He sent you _chocolate_?!” He starts to laugh. “Is he trolling you? He sent you _milk_ chocolate.”

He picks up a chocolate crumb and lifts it towards his mouth, but Asami, Suoh, and Yoneda all yell “Don’t!” at the same time.

Akihito looks at them. “I assume all gifts are screened before being brought into this office, right? So there aren’t any explosives or poisons…”

“No explosives, correct, but we can’t screen for every single toxin or poison,” Kirishima explains.

Akihito rolls his eyes. “Fine. I was just going to see what quality it was.”

He examines the box carefully and notices a small logo on the back of the gift tag. He snaps a picture of the logo on his phone and does an image search. At first the results just show a variety of Chinese profile pictures, but when Akihito cross-references the search to “chocolate” and “Tokyo,” he finds the picture of a small candy shop in Ikebukuro. The shop’s website is in Chinese as well as Japanese.

Kirishima makes a mental note to learn how to use the search engine Akihito just used; his researchers are still working on identifying the logo and probably won’t have the results for another eight hours at least.

Akihito skims the website. “They have something called ‘chocolate treasure boxes,’ and inside the box, they’ll include a small plastic toy, hard candy, or a message. They don’t have a picture of them… I wonder if these blocks could be them?”

“The outside of the chocolate is completely plain,” Suoh says doubtfully. “Wouldn’t a treasure box look more like a box? Something you could open up?”

“My cousins sometimes brought me a chocolate magic ball from America,” Akihito says. “It was a hollow chocolate ball, plain on the outside, with a toy inside.” He picks up one of the chocolates and shakes it. “This doesn’t sound hollow. But it would be easy to put something right inside a solid block of chocolate.”

Kirishima leaves the office and returns a minute later with a grater, two knives, and two cutting boards. He and Akihito get to work dissecting the first chocolate block. There’s nothing inside it.

“Do you and Fei Long have a special number?” Akihito asks Asami.

“What?” Asami asks, wrinkling his forehead. “I told you, we were never an item or anything.”

“You never did tell me the whole story,” Akihito reminds him. “Are there any numbers you associate with him? Or that he would associate with you? Anything at all, good or bad?”

Asami frowns. “The only thing I can think of is two.”

“Two?”

“He gave me two bullet wounds, and he blames me for two that he’s received.”

“What about good things?” Akihito looks down at the floor as he asks, like he doesn’t want to know the answer. “Or are they too many to count?”

Asami is confused again.

“You said you flirted with each other…” Akihito prods, flushing. Yoneda, Suoh, and Kirishima shift uncomfortably.

Asami sighs. “We only ever kissed twice, either. So I guess you should check the second one, but I really don’t think Fei Long thinks that deeply about it. It was a long time ago.” He leaves off the fact that the second kiss was during Akihito's rescue; he didn’t initiate it, anyway.

“In Hong Kong, they still use the vertical writing system, and horizontal text was standardized to left-to-right only recently. Since Fei Long was raised in a traditional household, we probably want to check the second one from each end,” Kirishima says.

“We probably want to check _all_ of them,” Suoh chimes in.

“I’ll check this one,” Akihito says, picking up the second one from the right. Kirishima starts on the second one from the left.

“I’ll inspect the box again,” Suoh says. Yoneda assists him.

“Fei Long probably saw the Valentine’s display at the store and thought it’d be funny to send me the Takanaga message, knowing that we would spend hours analyzing it for additional meaning,” Asami says. “I think he’s just bragging that he sprung Takanaga free from prison and has a new opening in the Japanese trade route.”

“Would he really need to come here personally just to meet with Takanaga?” Akihito asks.

“To solidify their relationship, yes. We should be focused on finding out more information about the alleged police mole who framed Takanaga. I wouldn’t be surprised if Fei Long was the one who instigated that in the first place. It would be easy to then free Takanaga at an opportune time to gain a loyal ally in Japan – after his agent was safely relocated somewhere far from Japan.”

“That doesn’t explain why he lured Takaba to the docks tonight with the intention of detaining him,” Suoh points out.

“Has Fei Long sent you any more messages?” Asami asks Akihito.

“I don’t know. I blocked him after the first one, so even if he has, I wouldn’t have seen them,” Akihito answers. “I don’t think there’s anything in this block.”

“Why is Fei Long sending messages to Takaba?” Kirishima asks, setting down his knife and staring at Asami. His eyes say his unspoken question: _And why wasn’t I informed of this?_

Asami doesn’t know the answer, so he looks at Akihito.

Akihito shrugs. “I don’t know. I think he wants to be my friend.”

The others all blink at him.

Yoneda is the first to speak. “The guy who kidnapped you and kept you in Hong Kong for months wants to be your _friend_?”

Akihito shrugs. “I don’t think he has any friends, or even anyone he can trust, besides Tao, the kid he’s raising. It must be lonely.”

“But why you?” Suoh asks bluntly.

Kirishima tries to soften Suoh’s question. “It’s not usually something you would ask of someone you had made your enemy.”

Akihito shrugs again. “I don’t know. He said he thought I would never betray him.”

“So was he targeting you to get to Asami-sama, or to get to you for not being his friend? Or just awkwardly trying to become friends again?” Yoneda asks.

No one answers because no one can figure out what Fei Long is thinking; he doesn’t think like other people do.

Akihito finally breaks the silence. “I don’t know, but I’m not the one he sent chocolates to. I thought you said you had hurt him in a way that would keep him from trying to get back at you for a long time.” He looks at Asami.

Asami shrugs. “Maybe I should have told him the truth about what happened in Hong Kong eight years ago… But he wasn’t exactly in a listening mood, and I doubt he would have believed me.”

“What exactly did happen in Hong Kong?” Kirishima asks. “Don’t you think it’s time you told us everything?”

Asami looks at Akihito. “I told Akihito I’d tell him, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. He needs to hear it first.”

Akihito shrugs and sighs. “We don’t really have the time to waste on that. Just tell us all together.”

It takes Asami thirty minutes to tell the tale of Fei Long, his father, his brother, and Tou. By the time he’s done, tears are streaming down Akihito’s face.

“This is why Fei Long wants to be your friend. You would weep even for him,” Asami says, caressing Akihito’s cheek.

“Don’t be jealous. I chose you,” Akihito retorts.

Asami’s eyes widen as the implication of Akihito’s words hit him. _Fei Long really is the most pitiful person I’ve ever met._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nerima is one of the special wards of Tokyo. Vehicles registered in Nerima are from the northwest part of Tokyo, which includes Ikebukuro (where a large Chinese population resides).


	5. Adding Some Flavor to the Chocolate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akihito, Asami, and the Sion employees continue to decode Fei Long's chocolate message. Can they figure out what the Baishe leader is doing in Tokyo before it's too late?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blargh. I feel like including the Fei Long arc in this story was a mistake. (I did want to have that situation resolve, but I think it needed its own story. And I do think providing Asami's activities as a counterpoint to the chocolate-making brought much-needed balance, but I think a different story would have fit better without trying to take the whole story over the way Fei Long is... He's such a diva.)
> 
> Anyway. This chapter took forever because I was trying to figure out how this would resolve and fit into the other arc... And I think I've got an idea to salvage it. I can totally commiserate with mangakas who write as they go along. You can't just drop an arc without resolving it, even if you realize it was a mistake (well, you can, but it makes for a bad manga...). So you climb on the struggle bus and you wrestle the flying dragon on the top of that double-decker hurtling five miles per hour down the road...
> 
> Sorry for ending it on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I just want to put this chapter behind me already. Besides, isn't that a Checklist tradition? ;)
> 
> (See the note on the first chapter for a summary of "Checklist" and "Takaba Akihito's Secret Part-Time Job," which this story draws from.)
> 
> Original Characters:  
> Kana: Takato's wife  
> Aikawa Mari: Kou's girlfriend  
> Yoneda: Akihito's head security guard  
> Sakuragi: one of Akihito's guards  
> Saji: another of Akihito's guards  
> Koizumi: the judge who overturned the Takanaga leaders' conviction  
> Takanaga Seita: the chairman of the Takanaga group, just released from prison  
> Nanahara: a Sion corporate spy who framed Takanaga, now in Hong Kong  
> Sakura Ao: an employee of the Takanaga group alleged to be a police mole  
> Tanihara: one of Sion's VIPs (i.e., a "corporate president" active in the underworld)  
> Suzuki: another Sion VIP  
> Amaya: female kitten, cries whenever Akihito's not in the room  
> Shiro: male kitten, curious, stubborn, energetic, and kind  
> Hitoshi: male kitten, clever, relatively obedient, patient  
> Momoe: the kittens' mother

When the second chocolates from each end don’t reveal anything, Asami decides to head down to the VIP room of Sion again to feel out what others think about Takanaga’s release.

Akihito protests. “What if Fei Long –”

He stops mid-sentence at the look Asami and Suoh are giving him, daring him to finish the implication that there’s a problem with the security at Sion. But Suoh says, “I’ll go with Asami-sama. I need to check on the security, anyway.”

Akihito nods reluctantly.

Asami gives him a quick hug goodbye, taking the opportunity to whisper in his ear, “Remember, Kurebayashi-sensei is on standby. Just call her if you want to talk to her.”

“I’m fine,” Akihito says, glaring at him.

Asami shrugs. “It’s up to you. Just keep in mind that the later she hears from you, the more you’re going to have to listen to her.”

Once Asami and Suoh are gone, Akihito and Kirishima go back to dissecting the blocks of chocolate while Yoneda continues to investigate the packaging for clues.

Inside the third chocolate block from the left, Akihito uncovers a brown feather and something made of gold. While he’s working on extracting them from the chocolate, Kirishima discovers the edges of a purple flower in the fourth block. Akihito slowly carves away as much of the chocolate as he can.

“Should we melt the rest off?” he asks. “Obviously the items must be able to withstand the temperature of melted chocolate to have gotten inside it in the first place.”

“That will probably be fastest,” Kirishima says. “Let’s take this to the kitchen.”

“Do we have a black light?” Yoneda asks. “It looks like there might be something written on the bottom of the box, but it appears to be in some kind of invisible ink.”

“Check with the research department,” Kirishima tells him, and Yoneda trots off down the hall.

“Is Fei Long a kid or something?” Akihito snarks. “Hidden messages in chocolate, invisible ink, picking on the one he likes…”

Kirishima eyes him. “Do you mean Asami-sama or yourself? Or both?”

“I don’t know,” Akihito says. “I’m not sure _Fei Long_ knows. I don’t think he ever resolved his feelings about Asami. I don’t know how anyone could, given what they went through together, to be honest.”

They each heat up a saucepan of water and set a metal bowl on top, putting their mutilated chocolate block inside the bowl.

“It sounds like blaming Asami-sama for everything is _how_ he’s trying to resolve his feelings,” Kirishima says. He adds softly, almost to himself, “To think that whole mess in Hong Kong was caused by him having a temper tantrum because Asami-sama found someone else…”

Akihito stares at him. “I really don’t think that’s what it was,” he says. “He just saw me as Asami’s toy that he could take away from him.”

Kirishima levels his gaze at him. “This isn’t kindergarten.”

“Hey, you don’t have to tell me that! I told him when we first got to Hong Kong how ridiculous it was, that he was acting like a little kid, and I offered to help him and Asami work things out in a quiet, peaceful talk at McDonald’s over a cup of coffee.” Akihito snickers at the memory.

Kirishima raises his eyebrows at him. “How did Fei Long take that?”

Akihito’s eyes cloud over. “He threatened to sell me off to some ugly old pervert and get me hooked on drugs.” A shudder ripples through him at the memory.

“I’m sorry,” Kirishima says softly. He remembers Akihito clutching his jacket when they exchanged the casino deed. _I probably haven’t given the kid enough credit._

“You didn’t do anything,” Akihito mutters. His chocolate is nearly melted, and he gives it a stir to see if he can loosen either item yet. It’s weird having a real conversation with Kirishima.

“It’s going to be hard to keep this flower intact,” Kirishima says, frowning. “Maybe it would have been better to chip the chocolate off of it.”

“Don’t you think that would have torn the petals?” Akihito asks. He pulls the feather out of the melted chocolate with a pair of chopsticks, puts it in a colander, and runs it under very hot water. He rubs the chocolate off with his fingers. “Why a feather?” He frowns.

“That was in one of the ‘Taka’ [high/tall] chocolates, right? Doesn’t your name mean ‘high feather’?” Kirishima says.

“So this is… me?” Akihito frowns. “I guess I’d better see what the other thing was.”

But Kirishima rinses off the flower first. It comes out bedraggled and droopy, but it’s relatively intact. “Do you know what kind of flower this is?” he asks Akihito.

Akihito shakes his head. “I’m not good with that kind of stuff. I can ask a friend who likes to garden. I don’t have to tell her where it’s from…”

He texts Kana a picture of the flower while Kirishima rinses off the gold item from Akihito’s chocolate block.

_Any idea what this flower is? It was inside a friend’s Valentine’s chocolate, so it got droopy._

Kirishima holds up a heart-shaped locket. He goes to open it, but Akihito snatches it from his hand.

“Let’s look at it in Asami’s office.” He clutches the locket in his hand as he stalks down the hall. Kirishima brings the feather and the flower. As they walk down the hall, Akihito feels something on his head. He brushes his hair with his fingers and realizes Kirishima is tickling him with the feather. “What are you doing?” he bursts out. He doesn’t understand why he’s suddenly so angry.

“Sorry. I just noticed it matches your hair. It’s really quite a remarkable match,” Kirishima says.

“Sorry,” Akihito mutters, suddenly feeling foolish for snapping. “I guess this whole situation has put me on edge.”

When they get to Asami’s office, Akihito closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and opens his eyes again. He tilts the locket so only he can see the image, and Kirishima respectfully keeps his distance.

Inside the locket on the left is a picture of Akihito. He’s shirtless and blindfolded, and his hands are wrapped around something near his mouth. He has a sick feeling of comprehension when he notices the Baishe tattoo on his hand.

“That bastard,” he says, fumbling at the locket catch until he figures out how to open the back so he can remove the picture. He snatches Asami’s lighter off the desk and sets the picture on fire.

“Takaba-kun! We need that–” Kirishima stops because the picture is already gone.

“No one needed to see that. Especially Asami,” Akihito says grimly. His hand is throbbing, and he looks down and realizes it’s tightly clenched. When he relaxes it, there’s a large red mark from where he squeezed the locket too tightly. He opens the locket and looks at the picture on the other side for the first time.

It’s a picture of a younger Asami. It looks like one of his own surveillance photos, taken at night with no flash while Asami paused to light his cigarette.

He narrows his eyes in confusion. “What is he trying to say? I don’t get it.”

He sighs and puts his head on the desk, dropping the locket. He suddenly finds this whole situation exhausting.

Kirishima picks up the locket and looks at the picture. “I’m guessing this was taken by one of Baishe’s security team when Asami-sama was in Hong Kong the first time. What was the other picture?”

Akihito sighs. “It was a picture of me. When I was in Hong Kong.” He doesn’t elaborate further, and Kirishima doesn’t ask – probably sensing that Akihito won’t tell him anything more, and pressuring him will just make him snap again.

Akihito’s phone beeps.

_I don’t know, Aki-san. I sent it to my friend at the gardening shop. I’ll let you know when she gets back to me._

He conducts an image search on the flower, but it’s too bedraggled to find anything similar.

Yoneda comes back into the room, carrying a rectangular-shaped lamp. “I figured out the message,” he says, but his tone doesn’t sound confident. He shines the black lamp on the box, and the words “Happy Valentine’s Day” appear. “So Fei Long is actually just trying to send Asami-sama a Valentine’s wish?”

“That doesn’t explain the Takanaga message or trying to trap Takaba-kun,” Kirishima says, rubbing his eyes.

“Or the stuff in the chocolates,” Akihito says, gesturing to the desk. He lets Kirishima explain the meaning they’ve surmised so far.

“But the locket had pictures of you and Asami-sama?” Yoneda wrinkles his forehead. “So that part, like the box, was _nice_?”

“No,” Akihito corrects him. “Like the chocolates themselves – though actually, I don’t know if Fei Long knows that Asami hates sweets – the locket was him trolling Asami. Asami would not have liked that picture of me; he would have taken it as a challenge implying that I belong to Fei Long.”

“It would have helped if we had seen the picture,” Yoneda says, frowning.

Akihito abruptly stands up. “Asami was right. If I don’t see Kurebayashi-sensei, she’ll just lecture me later. I might as well see her now, since we’re just waiting, anyway.”

After he’s gone, Yoneda asks Kirishima, “Did you see what it was about that picture that upset him so much?”

“No, he wouldn’t let me.”

Not long after Akihito has left, his phone starts buzzing on Asami’s desk. Kirishima picks it up. “I’m hoping it’s his friend telling us the name of the flower,” he explains when Yoneda raises his eyebrows at him.

_My friend said it’s a purple poppy. Poppies are usually sent for romance because they’re a sign of a deep love. Various colors have different meanings, but she doesn’t know what purple means._

_Thanks._

_Oh, my friend says you’d better not eat that chocolate. That’s an opium poppy, and the chocolate could be dangerous. They’re also only allowed by permit in Japan, so your friend shouldn’t show it to too many people._

_Thanks again._

“Just make sure Takaba-sama knows that you’re the one who answered his phone,” Yoneda tells Kirishima. When he sees the look on Kirishima’s face, he rapidly switches topics. “So, why a poppy? Does this mean Fei Long is recognizing the relationship between Asami-sama and Takaba-sama?”

Kirishima frowns as he thinks it through. “Asami-sama’s name is spelled with the kanji for ‘opium,’ so I think this represents him. Purple is the color of royalty, and Asami-sama’s first name means ‘the noble best’ or perhaps ‘the most noble’.” He looks at the chocolate box again. “The Takaba chocolate was the third one, and it had the feather and the locket. Three can also be pronounced the same as _mitsu_ , which in English is ‘honey’ – though I’m not sure Fei Long is fluent enough in Japanese to know that particular borrowed slang for a romantic partner. But the Asami chocolate was the fourth one.”

Yoneda gulps. He doesn’t need Kirishima to tell him that ‘four’ is pronounced the same as ‘death.’ “But the one he was trying to capture was Takaba-sama,” he says.

Kirishima shrugs. “Maybe Asami-sama can figure it out. Maybe we’re missing something.”

“What about the last block of chocolate?” Yoneda asks, nodding towards it. “Maybe there’s something in there.”

“I forgot about that,” Kirishima admits. Together, they start dissecting it.

 

As soon as Asami enters the VIP room, Tanihara zeroes in on him. After the minimal amount of small talk required for the sake of politeness, Tanihara steers the conversation towards the very topic Asami wanted to broach.

“So, I heard that Takanaga and his cronies escaped from prison,” Tanihara says casually.

“I spoke with Takanaga-san earlier. Apparently a police mole in his company framed him. He’ll be stopping by the club in the next few days to renew his acquaintances,” Asami confirms.

“I heard an interesting theory about that,” Suzuki chimes in. He draws nearer to the other two before adding in a low tone, “Considering the amount of evidence against Takanaga, it doesn’t seem likely he could get out even if _some_ of it was inadmissible. But considering his reputation for backstabbing, it seems more plausible that _he’s_ the one who’s become a police mole.”

Tanihara nods slowly. “That actually makes a lot of sense. I wouldn’t be surprised if that were true!” He turns to Asami. “Are you sure you should let him back into the VIP room so easily? Shouldn’t he have to go back on the waitlist?”

Asami smiles regretfully. “I have to give him the benefit of the doubt; I’m sure you understand. But while his membership in the club has been reinstated, he’ll have to follow the usual guidelines for the VIP room. There’s simply no room for exceptions there.”

Tanihara and Suzuki clap him on the shoulder.

“That makes me feel better, Asami-san. You were really prescient to craft the guidelines so carefully,” Tanihara says, smirking.

Suzuki, who doesn’t have a knack for subtlety, asks, “So he’ll have to go through the year of weekly attendance as a regular member in good standing before he can seek the recommendation of three current VIPs to apply for VIP status again?”

“You remember the guidelines well,” Asami demurs before excusing himself. As he makes the rounds, several others make the same insinuation that Takanaga might be working for the police. _Looks like your reputation for double-crossing and loose ethics is coming back to bite you, Takanaga._

After an hour, Asami is satisfied with the information he’s gathered. He heads to the security room and checks in with Suoh. After a brief update, the two head back upstairs.

When the elevator doors open, Asami immediately starts listening for Akihito’s boisterous voice. He can’t hear it. As soon as he turns into his office, he asks, “Where’s Akihito?”

“He went to consult with Kurebayashi-sensei,” Kirishima explains.

“How long ago?” Asami asks.

“About thirty minutes.” Kirishima lines up the items they’ve discovered inside the chocolates, each in the slot where it lay in the box.

Asami and Suoh are quiet while they listen to the current theory concerning the items’ significance.

“… And in the last chocolate were this statue of a flying dragon and a purple hyacinth.”

Yoneda takes over the explanation. “My mom used to grow hyacinths, and I picked a purple one to give to my girlfriend once, and she was really confused by it. She kept asking me what I was sorry for.”

“Apparently the purple hyacinth means ‘I’m sorry’ in flower language,” Kirishima translates.

“And it was in the Fei Long block?” Asami asks, picking up the flying dragon.

“Yes, the sixth block, which was one of the low blocks.”

“And neither of you saw the picture that made Akihito so upset?” Asami squeezes the locket in his own fist.

“No, Asami-sama.”

After an awkward silence, Yoneda hesitantly offers all he knows about it. “Takaba-sama thought you wouldn’t like it. He said it seemed to be a message from Fei Long that Takaba-sama belongs to… him.” He gulps as Asami’s face hardens.

Asami squeezes his fist harder before crashing it down on his desk. “We should just ignore him until he crawls back to the Hong Kong sewers where he belongs.”

He throws the locket on the ground in disgust and snatches up his cigarettes and lighter. Suoh picks up the locket, and the frame around the picture juts out because the hinge is broken. He removes the picture of Asami and inspects both sides of it. “There’s something written on the back!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takanaga consists of the kanji for "high" and "long."  
> Takaba consists of the kanji for "high" and "feather."  
> Asami consists of the kanji for "opium" and "see/view/chance/hope."  
> Ryuichi consists of the kanji for "one, the best" and "noble."  
> Liu consists of the character for "assassin."  
> Fei Long means "flying dragon."
> 
> The photograph of Akihito came from Naked Truth 7 (Hong Kong 2).


	6. Molding the Chocolate Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After talking to his psychologist, Akihito decides they need to stop reacting to Fei Long and create their own plan. Team Sion comes up with a plan, but it leaves Akihito feeling uneasy -- especially since Asami seems to be hiding something from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for language in this chapter.
> 
> Thank you, Akihito! After the last chapter, I had a pretty good idea where all the plot elements would end up, but no idea how to get there. And Akihito was like, "No, please, listen to me talk to Kurebayashi-sensei..." I decided to trust him, because why not? One of the characters was actually helping me write instead of dragging their feet! And then this chapter practically wrote itself. Thanks, Aki. (And I've even started on the next one. I'm hoping to wrap up the Fei Long situation next chapter and get to Valentine's fluff for the last one or two -- it depends on how much the boys want to give me...)
> 
> Bonus: Akihito even gave us a little much-needed fluff and humor (at least I needed it!).
> 
> (See the note on the first chapter for a summary of "Checklist" and "Takaba Akihito's Secret Part-Time Job," which this story draws from.)
> 
> Original Characters:  
> Kana: Takato's wife  
> Aikawa Mari: Kou's girlfriend  
> Yoneda: Akihito's head security guard  
> Sakuragi: one of Akihito's guards  
> Saji: another of Akihito's guards  
> Koizumi: the judge who overturned the Takanaga leaders' conviction  
> Takanaga Seita: the chairman of the Takanaga group, just released from prison  
> Nanahara: a Sion corporate spy who framed Takanaga, now in Hong Kong  
> Sakura Ao: an employee of the Takanaga group alleged to be a police mole  
> Tanihara: one of Sion's VIPs (i.e., a "corporate president" active in the underworld)  
> Suzuki: another Sion VIP  
> Amaya: female kitten, cries whenever Akihito's not in the room  
> Shiro: male kitten, curious, stubborn, energetic, and kind  
> Hitoshi: male kitten, clever, relatively obedient, patient  
> Momoe: the kittens' mother

Akihito paces back and forth. Kurebayashi merely watches him, waiting for him to speak again.

“Say something!” he finally bursts out.

“You’re angry,” she observes.

“No shit.” Akihito continues pacing. When he reaches the end of the room, he turns around, looks at her, and apologizes.

She shrugs. “I’ve heard worse.” After another pause, she asks, “Who are you angry at?”

He looks at her like she has six heads. “Fei Long.”

“Anyone else?”

“Of course not.”

“Are you sure?”

He pauses to consider it but shakes his head. “I’m sure.”

“You’re not angry at Ryuichi-kun?”

Akihito furrows his brow. “No. Why would I be?”

“I don’t know. Just checking. What about yourself?”

“Again, no! Why should I be?”

Kurebayashi-sensei smiles. “You’ve made considerable progress. You’re no longer blaming yourself for what happened in Hong Kong.”

“Great. Put a star on my chart. Whoop-de-freaking-doo.”

“Are you angry at me?”

“No. I’m sorry.”

“That’s quite alright. Just making sure. It’s healthy to vent, and I don’t take it personally.”

Akihito pauses at the other end of the room to look out the window at the twinkling lights of the city. “Why did he have to come here? Tokyo is _our_ place.”

“Ours?” Kurebayashi-sensei asks.

“Mine. Asami’s. Japan’s.”

“You thought you were safe here.”

“From him, yes. I’m tired of him jerking me around. Frigging chocolate messages. I don’t care what he has to say, but why does he have to bug Asami?”

Kurebayashi doesn’t answer. Akihito resumes pacing.

After a long pause, he says, “I can’t believe he took _pictures_ of me. And he really needs to stop taunting Asami about… stuff. Like at the onsen.”

“Stuff? Onsen?” Kurebayashi raises her eyebrows.

Akihito closes his eyes. “Reminding Asami of what he did to me. At least Asami didn’t see the picture this time.”

“What happened at the onsen? When did this occur? You’ve never mentioned an onsen before,” Kurebayashi points out.

Akihito flops on the couch. “Never mind. That didn’t really happen.” He shakes his head vehemently.

“Takaba-kun…” she says in her warning tone.

He groans. “We ran into Fei Long at an onsen. He taunted Asami about what he did to me in Hong Kong. End of story.”

“Uh-huh. That’s why you never mentioned it before. What _really_ happened at the onsen?”

Akihito can feel his face flushing. “That’s it, okay?”

“Takaba-kun…” Kurebayashi says in her warning tone again. He can tell she’s a hair’s breadth away from lecture-mode, and he doesn’t have the patience for that today.

“You know what? Forget this. Why I am getting so worked up over this? We need to stop letting Fei Long jerk us around by his puppet strings and take matters into our own hands.”

Akihito gets up and stalks to the door without waiting for a response.

Kurebayashi follows him into the hallway. “Takaba-kun, we’ll talk more about this later.”

 

Akihito opens Asami’s office door without knocking. Asami looks up at him questioningly.

Before Asami can say anything, Akihito bursts out, “Why are we letting Fei Long jerk us around? It’s time for _us_ to make _our_ move. Let him feel what it’s like to be a confused puppet.”

The others gape at him, but Asami calmly asks, “Do you have an idea?”

Akihito sighs and flops on the couch. “No,” he confesses. He sits up hopefully. “Do you?”

“I have a thousand, but I won’t know which are appropriate until we figure out Fei Long’s intentions,” Asami says. He mutters darkly, “And most of them would lead to an international underground world, so they’re not particularly _prudent_ , though they certainly seem _good_ right now.”

Kirishima carefully guides the discussion to more practical matters. He explains the additional items found in the last chocolate block. “And Suoh-san found a message on the back of the second picture in the locket.”

Asami holds out the picture to Akihito, and he takes it with shaking hands.

_Asami and Akihito, I’m sorry. Please_

“Please what?” Akihito asks.

Yoneda clears his throat. “We believe the rest of the message was on the other picture.”

“Oh.” Akihito looks down at the floor, ashamed. “Sorry.”

Asami shrugs. “Nothing we can do about it now.”

“So… Fei Long lured me to the docks to capture me, but at the same time, he sent a Valentine’s apology to Asami and me – which also gave a clue that Fei Long was behind the Takanaga group’s prison release,” Akihito summarizes.

“I’ve been wondering about what happened at the docks,” Yoneda pipes up. “We were pursued as we escaped, but Fei Long was scanning the more remote areas, knowing that Takaba-sama uses a telephoto lens and can be pretty far away. He had a boat at the end of our pier – but shouldn’t he have had a car there, too? That seems the far more likely escape route. Even our agents who were closer to Fei Long – including the one who made the diversion – managed to escape easily. Not a single shot was fired at any of us.”

They’re all silent for a moment while they digest this.

“Are you suggesting that maybe Fei Long wanted to meet personally with Takaba-kun to apologize to him personally?” Kirishima finally asks.

Yoneda shrugs. “Maybe. Maybe he didn’t want to scare him, so he didn’t pursue him too aggressively.”

“This is _Fei Long_ we’re talking about,” Akihito says dismissively.

“But so is this,” Yoneda says, pointing to the chocolates.

“Have you figured out where Fei Long is staying?” Asami asks Kirishima.

Kirishima consults his tablet. “Yes, he’s at the Peninsula Tokyo, in the Peninsula Suite.”

“Well, let’s call him. Maybe he’ll just _tell_ us what he’s up to,” Asami says.

Kirishima dials the number on the office phone, putting the volume on speaker so everyone can hear the conversation (though only the person holding the handset will be heard by the people on the other end). When the phone starts ringing, he hands Asami the handset.

“ _Hello_?” A sleepy voice says in Cantonese.

Asami answers, also in Cantonese. “ _May I please speak to Fei Long Liu?_ ”

The person on the other end abruptly switches to Japanese. “I’m sorry. I think you might have the wrong number.” The voice is cracking with puberty, but Akihito still recognizes it. He snatches the handset from Asami.

“Tao? This is Takaba Akihito.”

“Akihito! How are you? It’s been way too long. I’ve missed you.”

“Thanks. I’ve been well. A lot better than when you last saw me. How are you?”

“I’m alright. Fei-sama is sleeping right now.”

“Um, could you please wake him up? He played a trick on me tonight, and I’d really like to talk to him to clear things up.”

“A trick? Fei-sama wouldn’t do that.”

Akihito rolls his eyes. “Just like he didn’t kidnap me and hold me captive in Hong Kong for months.”

“But he let you go in the end.”

Akihito rolls his eyes again and sighs. “That’s true. He did. Anyway, he tricked me into going to the docks tonight and tried to kidnap me again.”

“He wouldn’t do that! Fei-sama is very sorry about what happened before, and he promised he wouldn’t do that again. I even wanted to invite you to his thirtieth birthday party, and he wouldn’t even let me contact you. He said you wouldn’t want to come. Do you hate Fei-sama?”

“He’s not my favorite person in the world,” Akihito demurs.

“Fei-sama has been very sad since you left. He really is sorry.”

“Did he ever _say_ that?” Akihito challenges.

Tao’s tone gets pouty. “Yes, as a matter of fact, he has, many times!”

“Really?” Akihito asks, surprised.

“Yes, he often mutters in his sleep about both you and that Asami guy. Apparently Fei-sama doesn’t hate him as much as I thought he did, though I don’t know why, when he shot Fei-sama.”

“Fei Long shot Asami first, and he was actually aiming at me. Asami was just protecting me.” Akihito figures Tao is old enough for the whole truth now.

Tao brushes the inconvenient truth aside the way only an adolescent can. “Anyway, you can’t lie in your sleep, so I know Fei-sama is really sorry.”

“But does he know it when he’s awake?” Akihito presses.

“What do you mean?”

“That guy likes to hide his true feelings from himself, covering them up with anger. And drinking. And that pipe of his.”

Tao’s voice drops so that it’s barely audible. “Fei-sama _has_ been drinking and smoking a lot more lately. He does it when he’s sad. He did it when he got home tonight.”

“That must be hard for you,” Akihito says sympathetically. He knows from experience how demanding Fei Long can be when he’s been hitting the pipe or the bottle.

“I’m glad I can help Fei-sama,” Tao says, his voice brightening. “I’ll go try to wake him up, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to.” There’s a clatter as he sets the phone down. He returns a full five minutes later, breathless. “No matter what I tried, Fei-sama wouldn’t wake up.”

“But he’s breathing, right?” Akihito asks, a little worried.

“Oh, yes.” Tao giggles. “He’s snoring.”

“Do you have any idea why he… sent something to Asami?” Akihito ventures, eying Asami to wordlessly ask if it’s okay for him to pursue this line of questioning with Tao.

Asami nods at him.

“Oh, did Asami-san get the chocolates? Those are special ‘treasure chest’ chocolates, you know. Be careful when you eat them; there are treasures hidden inside.”

“Thanks. We already found the treasures,” Akihito says.

“You did?” Tao asks, excited. “And that’s why you want to talk to Fei-sama? Then let’s meet up tomorrow morning.”

Akihito eyes Asami. Asami shakes his head slightly.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Tao. It really seemed like Fei Long was trying to kidnap me again tonight, and I really don’t want that to happen again.”

“He won’t, but bring that Asami guy if you’re worried. Fei-sama wouldn’t be able to kidnap you if he were there, right?”

Akihito pinches the bridge of his nose. “Um, that’s exactly what happened last time, Tao – and they ended up shooting each other.”

“I’ll make sure Fei-sama doesn’t bring a gun. I’ll tell him I’m meeting my Japanese pen pal and I want him to come with me.”

“He can’t go anywhere without a weapon and his guards,” Akihito points out.

“We can leave the guards outside,” Tao insists. “Where can we meet?”

Akihito casts Asami a desperate look. _What should I say?_

“Give him the address of the penthouse,” Asami says.

Akihito’s mouth drops open in shock. Asami grabs a pad of paper and scribbles on it, and Akihito notes that Asami gives the address for one of the apartments on the 39th floor. He gives the address to Tao, and they exchange a few more pleasantries.

As soon as he hangs up, Akihito turns to Asami. “Are you _insane_?”

 

The next morning, Akihito awakens at nine o’clock so that he can run to the store before the meeting with Fei Long. His conversation with Kana yesterday about the languages of love gave him an idea for a better Valentine’s present for Asami.

When Sakuragi sees Akihito in the garage, he gapes at him. “Are you insane, Takaba-sama?”

“I have to go to the store,” Akihito explains.

“Can’t it wait until after the meeting?” Sakuragi asks. He’s looking around wildly as he calls the elevator back.

“I have my photoshoot this afternoon, and I don’t know how long the meeting will take, so there might not be enough time later,” Akihito explains.

The elevator arrives, and Sakuragi gestures to it.

“But–” Akihito starts to protest, but Sakuragi cut him off.

“I’d rather we continue this conversation in a place that Fei Long’s men can’t so easily access,” Sakuragi says.

Akihito rolls his eyes. _It’s not like nonresidents can get into the garage._ But he follows Sakuragi into the elevator. Sakuragi gestures to the panel; apparently Asami has set it so that only Akihito and Asami himself currently have access to the top floor. Akihito scans his thumbprint and looks into the camera for face recognition.

“Can’t you go to the store _after_ your photoshoot?” Sakuragi asks.

“I told Asami I’d come straight home,” Akihito says, blushing.

“Oh, right. It’s Valentine’s Day,” Sakuragi says matter-of-factly, which just makes Akihito blush even redder. “Well, if you make a list, we can send someone to the store for you.”

“Umm…” Akihito doesn’t know how to say it without embarrassing himself. Sakuragi just stares at him expectantly, so he finally says, “I want to buy a Valentine’s present for Asami, so…”

“Oh. Oh!” Sakuragi reddens slightly, too, but he says, “Still, we can get that for you, if you know what you’d like.”

“Well, I kind of do, but asking you to do that for me…” Akihito trails off, embarrassed.

Sakuragi blushes deeper, too. “Oh!”

“I don’t mean it like that!” Akihito says. “It’d just be weird to send someone who works for Asami on a personal errand like that. I mean… I wouldn’t want everyone at Sion to know about it, you know?”

Sakuragi thinks for a moment. “How about I go personally? I’ll have to wait for someone to replace me here, but once they arrive, I can go and get whatever you’d like, and I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

Akihito thinks about it for a second. “Alright, but I don’t really know that much about it, so I was going to ask the clerk for assistance, but I still want to make the final decision myself…”

“I can text you pictures or even video so you can make the final decision,” Sakuragi points out.

Akihito hands Sakuragi a ten-thousand yen note. He fishes in his ubiquitous camera bag for the notebook he always keeps to record the settings and description for each photograph he takes. He tears out a blank sheet and scribbles a list along with the name of a store.

Sakuragi raises his eyebrows when he sees the list.

“Asami doesn’t really like sweets, so I thought he might appreciate this more…” Akihito explains sheepishly.

“I think he’ll be very pleased with whatever he receives from you, Takaba-sama. I’ll do my best.” Sakuragi bows and turns to call the elevator.

Akihito heads back into the penthouse quietly. Amaya greets him at the door. He picks her up and heads to the kitchen to start making breakfast. His stomach is in knots, and he’s not sure he can eat anything. But just in case something goes wrong, he’ll need the energy.

He’s just pulling the ingredients out of the fridge when Asami comes up behind him and hugs him.

“You’re wearing more clothes than usual,” Asami observes.

“So? I was going to go to the store…”

Asami looks at him like he’s crazy.

“… but Sakuragi-san gave me that same look, so he’s going to do the shopping for me. After he finds someone to replace him,” he clarifies.

Asami sighs. “Sometimes I wonder whether you’re completely lacking the gene for self-preservation.”

“I’m not the one who gave Fei Long the address of our home,” Akihito points out.

“But we’ll be meeting downstairs, and he’ll never in a million years think it’s our home, because he’d never expect me to give my home address to him. This is the safest place besides Sion for you, and Fei Long would never enter Sion.”

Akihito nods; they already went over this last night.

Asami holds up something pink and frilly. “I was hoping we could have some naked apron to celebrate today, but I think we should postpone that until after the meeting.”

He tucks the apron back inside his robe.

Akihito rolls his eyes but turns his attention back to breakfast.

“I need to make some phone calls,” Asami says. “I’ll be in my office. When will breakfast be ready?”

“In about thirty minutes. Will that be enough time? I can wait to start it…”

“That’ll be perfect.” Asami kisses him, and Akihito deepens the kiss.

After a minute, Asami suddenly grabs Akihito’s arm. “Nice try.” He smirks as he pulls Akihito’s arm from the inside of Asami’s robe and snatches the apron away. “I’ll be keeping this safe until we’re ready to use it.”

Akihito glares at him. “Just for that, I’m going to make the tamagoyaki extra sweet.” He sticks out his tongue.

Asami laughs and kisses him on the forehead before heading off to his office.

 

Thirty minutes later, Akihito heads to Asami’s office to tell him breakfast is ready. Akihito can hear the man talking through the door, so he knocks softly. After a minute, Asami opens the door. “Sorry.”

“I could hear you were on the phone,” Akihito says.

Asami’s mask flickers across his face.

“Don’t worry; I couldn’t hear what you were saying,” Akihito says, frowning. “It’s not like I’d eavesdrop on you.”

“Sorry, that’s not it. You’ll find out what that conversation was about later.”

Asami closes the door behind him quickly, the way he would if he were trying to keep the cats out. But the cats for once are not underfoot, and Akihito somehow gets the feeling that Asami is keeping _him_ out. Akihito pushes the thought from his mind. _It must just be the Fei Long effect. I thought I’d sorted through all the stuff he said about Asami versus who Asami really is, but I guess it’s not that easy._

He follows Asami into the dining room and tries to force breakfast down.

Asami eyes him. He’s never seen Akihito unable to eat before. “We can still call it off if you want,” he offers.

“No. We need to resolve this. It’s just…” Akihito trails off.

“You’ll be safe in the secret room watching everything. You only have to join us if _you_ decide it’s safe.”

“I’m not worried about myself,” Akihito retorts.

“I know.” Asami’s mouth is set in a grim line. “Don’t worry; I’ll be careful. You said it yourself, right? Neither of us intends to kill or be killed.”

Akihito sighs. “That’s true, but sometimes your tempers make you forget that.”

“Kurebayashi-sensei will be there to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Akihito snorts. “Even she’s not fast enough to stop a speeding bullet.”

Asami kisses his forehead. “No guns, remember? Kirishima and Suoh will be making sure we both hold to that bargain.”

 

After breakfast, Asami practices his kata to make sure his reflexes are honed and ready. When it’s time to go downstairs, Akihito hugs him tightly. “You’d better come back, bastard.”

“I promise, brat,” Asami says.

Akihito’s eyes widen as he remembers what Asami said about promises. _I take promises very seriously. I don’t make one unless I’m sure I can keep it._ Akihito squeezes Asami tighter before letting go. “Just be careful.”

“You, too. You can join us whenever you decide to – or not, if you decide you don’t want to. And you can turn the feed off at any time if you don’t want to listen to it. We can still have Kurebayashi-sensei in the room with you instead of us if you’d rather. No matter what she wants, _you_ get to decide.”

Akihito shakes his head. “No. I think she might be able to help. If what Tao said about Fei Long is true…”

“You are truly the most generous person I’ve ever met.” Asami kisses him.

Just before Asami opens the door, Akihito says, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

And then Asami was slipping out the door, ready to meet Fei Long once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> onsen: outdoor Japanese bath  
> ten-thousand yen: approximately 70-100 USD, depending on the current conversion rate  
> tamagoyaki: Japanese rolled omelette, often sweetened  
> kata: martial arts solo practice


	7. Setting the Chocolate Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami meets with Fei Long while Akihito listens in. Can the two crimelords meet without exchanging gunfire?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was going so well. And then it was time for Asami to speak. I had nearly forgotten what a stubborn poopyhead he can be. Ah, well, we got through it.
> 
> (See the note on the first chapter for a summary of "Checklist" and "Takaba Akihito's Secret Part-Time Job," which this story draws from.)
> 
> Original Characters:  
> Kana: Takato's wife  
> Aikawa Mari: Kou's girlfriend  
> Yoneda: Akihito's head security guard  
> Sakuragi: one of Akihito's guards  
> Saji: another of Akihito's guards  
> Koizumi: the judge who overturned the Takanaga leaders' conviction  
> Takanaga Seita: the chairman of the Takanaga group, just released from prison  
> Nanahara: a Sion corporate spy who framed Takanaga, now in Hong Kong  
> Sakura Ao: an employee of the Takanaga group alleged to be a police mole  
> Tanihara: one of Sion's VIPs (i.e., a "corporate president" active in the underworld)  
> Suzuki: another Sion VIP  
> Yangbo: Fei Long's chief assistant  
> Amaya: female kitten, cries whenever Akihito's not in the room  
> Shiro: male kitten, curious, stubborn, energetic, and kind  
> Hitoshi: male kitten, clever, relatively obedient, patient  
> Momoe: the kittens' mother

Akihito watches on the monitor as Fei Long, Tao, and three bodyguards arrive in the lobby.

“Only the people on the guest list are allowed upstairs,” the receptionist says apologetically.

Fei Long looks at Tao. “Are you sure this is where your pen pal lives?”

“Yes, Fei-sama.”

“Well, I insist at least Yangbo accompany us.”

“Fei-sama, that’s really not necessary. You already met my pen pal when he came to Hong Kong. Don’t you remember?”

Fei Long shakes his head. “You never introduced any pen pal to me.”

Tao pouts. “You’ve been forgetting things a lot lately, Fei-sama.”

Akihito laughs. “Man, he’s good.”

In the end, after the receptionist has a quick phone conference with Asami, Yangbo is allowed upstairs with Fei Long and Tao. It was expected that Fei Long would bring at least one guard, but the standard reception procedure makes Fei Long relax a little on the elevator ride up.

Tao knocks on the apartment door to 39A, and Yangbo steps in front of him when the door opens. Fei Long recoils as he recognizes Kirishima, but Kirishima bows solicitously as he opens the door, gesturing for them to enter. While Yangbo and Fei Long are still processing the implications of Asami’s right-hand man welcoming them, Tao slips past Yangbo and enters, leaving the others no choice but to follow him.

Asami is sitting on a couch. He’s wearing a short-sleeved polo shirt and khaki slacks – an outfit deliberately selected to show that he’s not hiding any weapons. He slowly stands with arms raised and bows. “Welcome Fei Long. Thank you for the chocolates.” He bows again to Tao. “Tao-kun, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“Tao? What’s the meaning of this?” Fei Long asks. “Is this some kind of joke? Your Japanese pen pal is Asami?”

“No, Fei-sama. It’s Akihito. Where is he?” Tao asks, looking around the apartment.

Fei Long strides forward, but Kirishima reaches out an arm to block him.

“Fei Long, I want this meeting to be peaceful. As such, may I suggest that we each put down any weapons that we have, and then allow the other’s guards to search us?” Asami says.

“I see you have two guards to my one,” Fei Long says, eying Suoh in the corner. “Or is that three?” he sneers, taking in Kurebayashi.

“This is Kurebayashi-sensei, Akihito’s doctor.” Asami deliberately makes the introduction vague.

“Doctor? Is something wrong with Akihito?” Fei Long asks. He nods to Yangbo to pat down Asami when Asami gestures him forward.

“See? I’m unarmed. I want this to be a peaceful meeting. Kurebayashi-sensei is here to facilitate it,” Asami says.

Kirishima and Suoh each pat down Fei Long carefully after he removes a gun and three knives from his clothing. Kirishima discovers another knife hidden in his ornate shoe, and Suoh finds one in his sleeve.

“The garrote, Fei Long,” Asami says, gesturing to what looks like ornamental trim on Fei Long’s top.

Fei Long glowers at him as he removes it.

“Where’s Akihito?” Tao asks again. “He was supposed to be here to help me.”

“Akihito is nearby. He will come later, depending on Fei Long’s behavior.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Fei Long demands. He takes a seat across from Asami.

Kurebayashi pours him a cup of tea, and Akihito notices that Fei Long’s hands are visibly shaking when he takes it. Akihito looks closer and notes that Fei Long seems even thinner than he was in Hong Kong; he’s so thin he looks almost gaunt. And his eyes have heavy bags under them. Akihito squints, but he can’t see whether Fei Long’s pupils are constricted.

“Takaba-kun is watching via monitors,” Kurebayashi explains. “If he decides that he feels safe, he’ll join us.”

“That’s not what we agreed to,” Tao says, crossing his arms. He reluctantly accepts a cup of tea from Kurebayashi.

“Tao-kun, it’s nice to meet you. You were very brave when you talked to me over the phone earlier. Can you be brave again?” Kurebayashi asks in the kindest voice Asami has ever heard her use.

Tao slowly nods. He takes a deep breath. “Fei-sama –” he starts. He lets out a single choking sob, but he quickly regains his composure and continues. Akihito holds his breath as he watches Fei Long on the monitor. “Fei-sama, I’m really worried about you. Ever since Akihito left, you’ve been drinking and smoking your pipe a lot. You sleep so soundly, I can’t wake you up, and you often forget things we talked about. And sometimes, after you’ve been drinking or smoking, you’re really mean.”

Fei Long shrugs. “You know how stressful my job is. I need to unwind in the evenings. But I’m sorry I’ve taken it out on you. I’ll try not to do that anymore.”

Tao shakes his head. “It’s not just in the evenings, Fei-sama. I notice when I empty your teacup after breakfast that it doesn’t smell just like tea. And I often smell your pipe when I come to collect your lunch dishes.”

“Tao-kun is not the only one who’s noticed,” Yangbo speaks up. “You’ve been making mistakes at work. I’ve had to make a number of apologies and excuses on your behalf. You’ve called the leaders of the other triads and forgotten deals you made with them. I lied and said that you sometimes sleepwalk, even making phone calls and carrying on entire conversations while you’re asleep without remembering it when you wake up. I’m not sure how long these excuses will work.”

Fei Long says, “I _have_ been overworked lately; it’s easy to forget when you’re so tired. Perhaps I need a rest.”

Tao cries, “You’re not listening! Akihito was right; you can’t face your true feelings when you’re awake. You can only face them when you’re asleep. That’s why I had to send that chocolate message for you!”

Akihito starts laughing. The hidden message in the chocolate, the invisible ink – he had joked that it was something a kid would do, and it turns out it _was_ something a kid did!

“What are you talking about, Tao? What did you do?” Fei Long demands.

Asami waves to Kirishima, and he brings the chocolate box over. First, Kirishima illuminates the “Happy Valentine’s Day” message on the bottom with the black light.

“Tao…” Fei Long says in an ominous tone that sends a shiver down Akihito’s spine.

Tao shrugs. “I used my invisible ink pen while you were paying for it.”

Kirishima removes the lid. “These items were inside the chocolates, in the order shown.”

Tao frowns. “That’s not how they were supposed to go!” He picks up the items and rearranges them as he explains, “The Asami Ryuichi purple poppy was supposed to be in the first chocolate, because his name has ‘one’ in it. The second one was supposed to have the locket.” Tao frowns again when he sees the broken locket with the missing picture. “What happened to the cute picture of Akihito eating an eggroll?”

Akihito freezes. _He thinks I was eating an_ eggroll _?_ _I hope he never finds out the truth. Poor kid._

Fei Long is still in shock and isn’t really processing anything, but Akihito can see Asami’s mind whirring at a thousand kilometers per second. Akihito knows Asami’s wondering, _Why on earth would Akihito get so upset about a picture of him eating?_ Akihito recognizes the exact moment when it clicks for Asami, because his business mask smooths into an even more emotionless façade, only belied by the momentary clenching of his right fist.

Tao continues, “Anyway, after the locket, Takaba Akihito’s high feather was supposed to be in the third block. The fourth block was supposed to be empty because it’s unlucky, and the fifth block was supposed to have the purple hyacinth to say ‘I’m sorry,’ while the sixth block, which was lower than the first and third, represents Fei-sama humbling himself in apology.” Tao places the dragon in the sixth slot and looks up to see if everyone understands.

Fei Long buries his face in his hands and rubs his forehead. “Why, Tao? I told you when you tried to write the card for me that this was just a simple business message to Asami. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking that maybe if you said some of the stuff that’s always disturbing your sleep, you could sleep better without needing the drinks or the pipe,” Tao explains. “You talk about Akihito and Asami every single night, in your sleep. And it’s always ‘I made a mistake.’ ‘I’m sorry.’”

Akihito’s journalistic curiosity has been tickled, so he sends a quick message to Asami. Asami reads it and smiles at Tao.

“Tao-kun, Akihito wants to know how you managed to trick Fei Long and hide all those things in the chocolate.”

Tao smiles. “He really is watching us, huh? I wasn’t sure if that was just a trick. Fei-sama stepped out to take a call while he was placing the order, and I just added a special instruction. Yangbo helped me get the items, but I didn’t tell him what I needed them for, and then I sent them on the room service tray with instructions to deliver them to the chocolate shop, charging the delivery fee to the room.”

“With so many exchanges, that would certainly explain how the items got rearranged,” Kirishima says, nodding.

“So you wanted to meet with me to accept my apology?” Fei Long asks. He stands up. “As if _I_ would ever apologize to _you_ , Asami!” He starts to walk to the door.

“No,” Asami says quietly. Fei Long freezes but doesn’t turn around. “I wanted to meet with you to apologize to you. And to explain what happened eight years ago – at least the parts I understand.”

“I can’t.” Fei Long’s voice sounds brittle.

Only Akihito, from the monitor in the secret room, can see the full anguish on Fei Long’s face.

“I’m sorry, Fei Long,” Asami says softly. “I wish things had gone differently eight years ago. I never meant for any of it to happen.”

Fei Long stands there, indecisive. Akihito can see the pain of losing his father, of thinking that the man he loved had betrayed him, as fresh as the day it happened. Akihito takes a deep breath.

“Fei Long-kun, I’ve heard from both Ryuichi-kun and Takaba-kun about some of the things that you’ve done and some of the things that have happened to you. I think you’ll want to hear what Ryuichi-kun has to say. I think you need to hear it,” Kurebayashi says calmly.

“Who are you, anyway?” Fei Long bursts out, his back still towards them. “You said you were Akihito’s doctor. What’s wrong with him?”

“She’s my psychologist,” Akihito says from the door. “She really helped me. I think she can help you.”

Fei Long gazes at him, a storm raging in his eyes, but Akihito is not afraid. He reaches out his hand. Fei Long takes it and allows Akihito to guide him back to the couch, where he sits between Tao and Akihito. He clutches both of their hands like a man clinging to a ship on a storm-tossed sea.

Akihito makes eye contact with Asami to reassure him that he has no cause for jealousy. But Asami simply nods in understanding as he begins his story. He takes much longer to tell the story, providing Fei Long with the background necessary to understand Asami’s relationship with Fei Long’s biological father, Tou, and Asami’s understanding of Tou’s plans for Fei Long. Asami is careful to remain neutral and factual, always calling Tou by name, and always referring to Fei Long’s adoptive father, Liu, as simply his father.

Fei Long listens largely in silence. Asami’s eyes never waiver from his, except when he touches on aspects of their truncated romance. At these moments, Asami’s eyes seek out Akihito’s, silently apologizing that Akihito has to hear about Asami’s past relationship. Akihito smiles at him each time, reassuring Asami that he’s fine.

When Asami gets to his last night in Hong Kong, he prefaces it by saying, “I only know what went on where I was. I’m not going to make any conjectures about what happened elsewhere. You’ll have to fill in the blanks for yourself.”

“I already know what happened,” Fei Long says with a hard edge to his voice.

_He really doesn’t want to relive that night. I don’t blame him_ , Akihito thinks. He squeezes Fei Long’s hand, trying to give him courage.

Asami says, “I promise you, this is the truth.” He starts with the arrival of the messenger stating that Fei Long’s father was on his deathbed.

He pauses momentarily to silently apologize to Akihito. He skipped over this next part in his retelling of the tale earlier. It wasn’t particularly relevant to the essential facts, and Akihito didn’t need to hear about it in front of Asami’s men.

But Fei Long _does_ need to hear about it. And even though it was in the past, it might hurt Akihito. It might even trigger his PTSD, even though he’s made considerable progress and hasn’t had any symptoms in weeks.

Akihito urges him to continue with his eyes. Asami sighs. _I’ll be as vague as I can._ He refocuses on Fei Long. “I was certain it was a trap, and I was worried about what your family would do to you when you returned – especially your brother. I wanted you to have time to make your own decision, free of their pressure. But my method of detaining you was cruel. I’m sorry.”

Fei Long’s eyes widen.

Asami continues. “I knew you were confused about your sexuality and were struggling to accept it. I played on your insecurities, using them to drive you into a corner at the same time I pretended to be doing the opposite.”

Asami glances at Akihito then glances at the floor.

He swallows hard before continuing. “When Akihito told me what you’d told him about me, I was livid. I wanted to kill you. You caused him so much pain and doubt. But looking back at my actions, I can’t really blame you for thinking I was as heartless as I pretended to be.”

“You wooed me and killed my father thinking I’d become your puppet,” Fei Long snipes. “How much more heartless can you get?”

Asami takes a deep breath. “I already told you I had nothing to do with your father’s death. I’ll continue with the rest of the events of that night, and perhaps you’ll finally understand what happened.”

Asami explains how he followed Fei Long to the Liu main residence, heading straight to Fei Long’s father’s room because he expected to find Fei Long with him. He relays the conversation with Liu as best he can remember it.

Tears silently stream down Fei Long’s face. “I always wanted him to acknowledge me, but I’d exchange the fact that he finally did for even one more minute with him.”

When Asami tells of Fei Long’s brother shooting their father, Fei Long shouts, “You’re lying! Yanzhui told me you were the one who shot Father!”

Asami looks at him sadly. “I was too slow because of the injury to my hand. We shot at nearly the same time, but he shot first. I was aiming for the gun so he would drop it. I didn’t want to injure him. But I missed slightly, wounding his side.” He shrugs. “I understand if you don’t want to believe what happened, but that’s the truth. Yanzhui was furious upon hearing what your father said. He thought your father was going to hand control of Baishe to you, despite what Yanzhui perceived as your betrayal.”

“Father- he- the last thing he said to me was to forgive Yan,” Fei Long says, his eyes wide with shock.

“You looked ready to give up. I wanted you to have something to live for – even if it was just hating me,” Asami says. “But perhaps I should have told you the truth sooner. I just couldn’t bear the thought of you blaming yourself for your brother’s actions any more than you already did.”

“It was my fault,” Fei Long says. “If I hadn’t –”

“Did your father blame you?” Asami asks.

“No, but –” Fei Long falters.

“You had no way of knowing what Yanzhui would do, just like I had no way of knowing Tou would shoot the person he told me was his beloved son. You’re no more responsible for Yanzhui’s actions than I am for Tou’s.”

“But you made me lower my gun!” Fei Long reminds him.

“I never would have if I had known he had one,” Asami says. “I’m glad my aim was true that time, though it was also delayed by my injury. And I’m thankful Kirishima taught me first aid so I could keep you alive until the ambulance arrived.”

“And then you abandoned me, knowing I had no allies,” Fei Long says bitterly. “Sometimes I still wish you had just let me die so I could be with Father.”

“I didn’t want you to die. I already told you that. Being around me would have endangered you even more, but I gave you Yoh.”

“Who also betrayed me to follow your orders.” Fei Long sits up poker-straight and pulls his hands free from Akihito’s and Tao’s, balling them up into tight fists on his knees.

Asami shakes his head. “No. Yoh was advocating for _you_. He came up with the only solution that would allow both of us to walk away without losing face while keeping Akihito safe. I wanted to storm in with guns blazing, to teach anyone watching what happens when they mess with what is mine.”

Kurebayashi clears her throat.

Asami shoots her an apologetic glance before continuing. “I only went with the whole charade of stealing the deed to exchange for Akihito because Yoh asked me to.”

“Yoh worked for Asami?” Akihito asks, looking back and forth between the two of them. “But he – ohhh. That’s why he asked me if I wanted to go back to Asami or not. He said he couldn’t help me if I didn’t want to go.”

“Yoh-san tricked me into giving him something that Fei-sama had told me to never give to anyone,” Tao gripes. “I even asked him if he would ever betray Fei-sama, and he said ‘no.’ He lied to me.”

“If I had known how things would turn out eight years ago, I would have done things differently. But I didn’t know, and so they happened the way they did. The same goes for you, I’m certain.”

Fei Long stares at Asami, startled by the almost tender look Asami’s giving him. After a moment, he realizes it’s the first time he’s seen Asami without his arrogant mask. Fei Long slowly nods. “Of course. I would trade everything I have to go back and change things.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Asami says. “It wasn’t my fault, either. It wasn’t entirely Yanzhui’s or Tou’s fault, either.”

“Nor my father’s,” Fei Long says. “He blamed himself. That’s why he wanted me to forgive Yan.”

“It just happened. It was a horrible tragedy. Feeling guilty isn’t going to change anything. But at the same time, I _am_ sorry. I wish things had gone differently. I’ve recently realized that these things need to be said aloud at least once. I’m sorry it took eight years.”

When Asami’s finished with his tale, he just sits and watches Fei Long, waiting for his response.

Eventually, Fei Long sighs. “I think I always knew what Yan had done. I just didn’t want to believe it. It was easier blaming you.”

“You’ve often muttered in your sleep, saying, ‘Yan, how could you? Father!’” Tao volunteers.

Fei Long closes his eyes for a long moment. “I’ve lived so long hating you, I don’t know how else to live.”

“You’re running Baishe. It would make your father proud. But above all, he just wanted you to be happy – whether that was inside Baishe or outside of it,” Asami says.

Fei Long smirks. “Is this the Akihito effect?”

“What do you mean? And don’t call him by his first name,” Asami retorts.

Kurebayashi clears her throat again.

“Is it Akihito’s influence that’s made you humble and _nice_? Coming from you, it’s really creepy.”

Asami gives Fei Long a deadly glare that somehow makes the triad leader feel more at ease.

“Akihito, come here,” Asami orders, patting the empty couch next to him.

Kurebayashi starts to clear her throat again, but before she can really get into it, Akihito folds his arms across his chest and gives Asami a challenging look. “This isn’t a pissing contest.”

Asami looks down at the floor. “Sorry,” he mumbles.

Akihito stands and walks across the room, sitting next to Asami. “All you had to do was ask nice,” he says cheekily, sticking out his tongue. He takes Asami’s hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. When Akihito realizes that everyone is watching them, he tries to release Asami’s hand.

“What are you getting embarrassed for now?” Asami asks crossly, letting Akihito’s hand go reluctantly. “You’ve been holding someone else’s hand for over an hour now.”

“That’s different!” Akihito protests.

“How?”

Akihito turns red. “It just is.”

“You guys really are disgusting,” Fei Long says. “A lot must have happened since the onsen for Asami to get so whipped.”

“Enough with these onsen references already. What happened at the onsen?!” Kurebayashi bursts out.

“None of your business,” three voices chime in at once. She looks at them, notices the crimson hue of Akihito’s face, and decides that perhaps some things are better left unknown, after all.

Tao speaks up again, “Fei-sama, I’m sorry about what happened to your father. I know it still hurts very much. But drinking and smoking your pipe won’t make the pain go away. I’m worried about you. Sometimes you sleep so deep I can’t wake you. Like last night.”

“I called you last night to ask about the stakeout and the chocolate message,” Akihito explains. “Tao tried to wake you for me, and when I heard what had been going on with you, I offered to let him talk to Kurebayashi-sensei about it.” Akihito is dying to ask what that stakeout was all about, but now probably isn’t the right time.

But Fei Long is only happy to change the topic away from his addiction, and he grasps at the straw Akihito unwittingly gave him. “I just wanted to invite you to dinner. I thought maybe if you saw me, you might consider accepting, but you never got close enough for me to ask.”

Akihito closes his eyes and counts to ten. “Fei Long, you kidnapped me, raped me, and emotionally abused me for months. Is that normally something you would ask? I can’t be your friend. At least not right now. I don’t know if I ever can be.”

“But you just –” Fei Long falters.

“I helped set up this meeting because Tao asked for help. And I left my hiding spot because I could see how upset you were, and I thought maybe I could help. But I was only okay with that because Kirishima-san, Suoh-san, and Asami were all here – and I knew you had no weapons.”

“But you would never betray me,” Fei Long says. “I can’t say that about very many people.”

“Yangbo-san here seems very loyal to me,” Akihito says. “Maybe you need to open your eyes and look around you more. And start building your relationships. It goes both ways.”

Kurebayashi speaks up, “Fei Long-kun, I’m willing to help you, if you want help. We can do an intensive program.”

“I live in Hong Kong,” Fei Long points out.

“You can stay here for a few more weeks, Fei Long-sama,” Yangbo says. “We already planned to be here for two more weeks, anyway. We can tell people you’re ill and need to stay longer. It’s the truth.”

Fei Long scowls at that but doesn’t contradict it. “Someone will figure it out,” he worries.

“Kurebayashi-sensei is very professional; she won’t tell anyone. I can offer you one of my residences in the countryside so that you can stay there with her. No one will know,” Asami says.

Fei Long slowly nods.

“Tao-kun, if you want to stay with me…” Akihito starts.

“No, Fei-sama needs me,” Tao says.

“Tao-kun, withdrawal can be very painful for the person experiencing it, and difficult for others to watch. Fei Long-kun might get even meaner for a while.”

“If it’s that painful, he’ll need me even more than he does now,” Tao resolves stubbornly.

Kurebayashi sighs. “Fine. It’ll give me time to work with you, too,” she mutters.

Akihito stands up. “I’ve got a job, so I’m going to go now. Tao, here’s my new contact information so we can keep in touch.” He winks as he hands his e-mail address to Tao; now Tao won’t have _completely_ lied about Akihito being his pen pal. “Let me know if Fei Long is ever giving you a hard time, okay?” He turns to Fei Long. “I hope you get better soon. Kurebayashi-sensei can be kind of a pain at times, but she actually knows what she’s doing, so trust her, okay?”

Fei Long nods. “Akihito. Thank you. I’m sor-”

Akihito puts a finger over Fei Long’s mouth. “Say it when you’re clean and sober.”

He heads upstairs, leaving the others to work out the logistics of Fei Long’s treatment. When he closes the penthouse door behind him, he leans against it. It’s weird; his legs suddenly feel a little shaky. Amaya winds around them, and he scoops her up. Her purring calms him, and he takes her to the bedroom to lie down and snuggle with her.

He’s barely crawled onto the bed when he hears the front door open. He looks up, and Asami is already standing in the doorway.

“Are you alright?”

Akihito chuckles softly. “I should have known.”

Asami climbs onto the bed and wraps his arms around Akihito and Amaya. “You’re shaking.”

“I know. It started when I got back here. I don’t know why; I feel fine.”

“I’ll hold you until it stops.”

“Shouldn’t you get back down there?”

“Fei Long can wait.”

“Don’t you want to know about the Takanaga thing?”

Asami shrugs, which feels funny against Akihito’s head. “That can wait. Takanaga’s done, anyway – he’s betrayed too many people, and he doesn’t have many allies left in Japan. It’ll be difficult for him to rebuild. Fei Long would be better off looking elsewhere.”

Akihito pulls back a little to look at Asami. “Would you consider it? If he asked you? Wasn’t that your original plan eight years ago?”

Asami shrugs again. “I don’t know. That bridge burned pretty badly; I don’t know if we can ever rebuild it. And I’m not sure I’d want to. How would you feel if I did?”

It’s Akihito’s turn to shrug. “I don’t know. I _think_ I’d be okay with it, as long as you guys were really in a truce. And I didn’t have to see him.”

“I’ve been trying to focus on those ‘downstream consequences,’” Asami says softly.

“Downstream consequences?” Akihito asks.

“Of my work. To minimize the bad ones,” Asami clarifies. He’s referring to a conversation he had with Akihito in which Akihito suggested Asami could use his power to minimize the downstream consequences – such as human trafficking – of his illegal businesses. “And after what you told me about how you were taken to Hong Kong, I’m not sure Fei Long’s the right partner.”

Akihito shudders, but he takes a few calming breaths and his heartbeat barely accelerates. Considering he had a full-on flashback that put him mentally back in that shipping container less than three months ago, it’s considerable progress.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up,” Asami says, smoothing Akihito’s hair.

“It’s okay. _I’m_ okay,” Akihito says. He leans in and kisses Asami, but Amaya reaches up and pats Akihito’s face, demanding his attention refocus on her. “Thanks for checking on me. I’m really fine now,” Akihito says. “Besides, I really do have to get ready and head to my photoshoot. I should be back by five.”

“Take care,” Asami says, giving him one last parting kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone else as surprised as I was at the turn that meeting took? There was a little time-skip over the discussion with Tao and Kurebayashi-sensei, but I'm sure Aki and Kurebayashi-sensei had to work pretty hard on Asami to get him to go along with it.
> 
> And now that Fei Long's arc is mostly resolved, we're just in time to celebrate Valentine's Day! Bring on the fluff!


	8. Decorating the Chocolate Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that the situation with Fei Long is settled, it's time for the guys to celebrate Valentine's Day -- or is it? Will Akihito finally discover what Asami was hiding from him earlier?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter is shorter than usual (about half as long). I've already written the rest, so you won't have a long wait, but I thought this was the most natural break for a chapter. (Sorry, I tried to add more fluff to it, but my fluff-making machine is apparently only able to make so much fluff at a time... and there's already a LOT in this chapter.)
> 
> (See the note on the first chapter for a summary of "Checklist" and "Takaba Akihito's Secret Part-Time Job," which this story draws from.)
> 
> Original Characters:  
> Kana: Takato's wife  
> Aikawa Mari: Kou's girlfriend  
> Yoneda: Akihito's head security guard  
> Sakuragi: one of Akihito's guards  
> Saji: another of Akihito's guards  
> Koizumi: the judge who overturned the Takanaga leaders' conviction  
> Takanaga Seita: the chairman of the Takanaga group, just released from prison  
> Nanahara: a Sion corporate spy who framed Takanaga, now in Hong Kong  
> Sakura Ao: an employee of the Takanaga group alleged to be a police mole  
> Tanihara: one of Sion's VIPs (i.e., a "corporate president" active in the underworld)  
> Suzuki: another Sion VIP  
> Yangbo: Fei Long's chief assistant  
> Director Nekota: an advertising photoshoot director Akihito occasionally works with  
> Amaya: female kitten, cries whenever Akihito's not in the room  
> Shiro: male kitten, curious, stubborn, energetic, and kind  
> Hitoshi: male kitten, clever, relatively obedient, patient  
> Momoe: the kittens' mother

After Fei Long and Kurebayashi-sensei leave, Asami says, “Kei, I have a favor to ask. It’s personal, so please feel free to say no.”

Thirty minutes later, they’re driving to a store together.

 

At four o’clock, Akihito wants to scream in frustration. He’s been careful to avoid any jobs he can with Emi in them, but somehow she ended up being the only model in today’s shoot.

“There’s no way I’m wearing that. It’s ugly,” she whines for the five-hundredth time.

Akihito texts Asami.

_I might be a little late. Sorry._

_Thanks for letting me know. Work hard._

“Emi-chan, you’re working so hard while everyone else is out having fun for Valentine’s Day,” her manager says.

Of course this sets Emi off into a further tantrum.

 

At 4:30, Akihito approaches Director Nekota. “Look, we haven’t even started yet. I need to leave by five o’clock.”

“The job goes until it finishes,” Nekota reminds him.

“Then _let_ me do my job,” Akihito says. “I was here on time and ready. Everyone else was, too.”

“We’re going as fast as we can,” Nekota says.

At 5:00, Emi has put on the pants of the outfit – and then taken them off again.

Akihito goes up to Nekota again. “Thirty more minutes, and I’m leaving.”

“That’s unprofessional, Takaba-san. I expected better from you.”

“Look, don’t pay me for today, whatever. My time is valuable, too, and I’m not the one being unprofessional here. You know that I’m willing to work hard until the job is done. I’m simply asking that everyone on the set provide me with the same courtesy.”

Nekota sighs. “You’re right. I’m about done, too. Every other photographer we’ve had for this designer has quit, too. I’ll make sure you get paid for today.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to change the model?” Akihito asks.

Nekota sighs again. “She’s the designer’s niece.”

“Does she know what Emi-san thinks of her clothes?”

Nekota smiles mischievously. “You can record video too, right?”

Thirty minutes later, Nekota shouts, “That’s a wrap!”

“Really?” Emi asks. “But we haven’t taken any photos yet.”

“Takaba-san has a hot date tonight. You’ve wasted enough of his time,” Nekota says.

Akihito blushes as Emi screams, “ _Him_? How did _he_ get a date for Valentine’s when _I_ don’t have one?”

But Akihito is texting with one hand as he races out to his scooter.

_On my way._

 

Akihito arrives at the penthouse to find the hallway lined with candles. Amaya doesn’t greet him, so he surmises the cats must be locked up in his workroom. As he follows the path of the candles towards the living room, he sees a scrap of paper on the floor.

_You’re an amazing photographer._

He puts it in his pocket, a bit bemused. A little farther, there’s a 4”x6” print of the black-and-white photo of Asami in shadowed moonlight that hangs on the wall of Sion’s executive marketing conference room.

Akihito looks more carefully down the hall. There are dozens of papers on the floor.

 

_Incredible cook._

One of Akihito’s notes with instructions on how Asami should reheat his dinner.

_You’re a cat-whisperer._

A photo of Akihito and Amaya.

 

_Remarkably generous._

A snapshot of Akihito volunteering at the orphanage on New Year’s Day. _That was three years ago, not long after I met Asami. I didn’t realize I was being followed that day,_ Akihito muses. _Asami must have had guards following me much earlier than I noticed._

 

_You’re an intrepid journalist._

Akihito’s front-page photo of the Takanaga raid.

_Cleaning wizard._

Two pictures paperclipped together: one of Akihito covered in mud, and another of the same shirt hanging in the laundry room to dry. _Didn’t I wash that one this morning?_

_You’re a caring neighbor._

A snapshot of Akihito pushing Nakamura, the cats’ owner, in her wheelchair in the hospital garden.

 

_Optimistic beyond belief, never giving up._

Akihito giggles at the next paper: a printout of the Mario Kart records, showing Asami with all but one of the high scores.

A printout of Twitter messages. When Akihito scans the first syllable of each tweet (the code he cracked during the Kurosaki incident), it reads “Takaba Akihito, codebreaker extraordinaire.”

 

_Understanding housewife._

Akihito scowls at that one. The next picture shows the comfortable outdoor smoking area Akihito set up for the dinner party Asami and Akihito hosted to thank the Sion team who helped out with the Kurosaki incident.

 

_A loyal friend._

One of Akihito’s photos from Takato’s wedding, showing the three friends hugging.

_Thoughtful and considerate._

A picture of a bento Akihito made for Asami along with a note (“There’s enough for Kirishima-san too. Don’t work too hard.”).

_You’re an efficient researcher._

A note from Kirishima asking how Akihito found the Ikebukuro chocolate shop so quickly just using its logo.

 

_Warm homemaker._

Two photographs again: one of Asami’s kitchen before Akihito moved in (complete with open fridge containing only some alcohol) and one from today (complete with notes taped to the freezer, open fridge and cabinets overflowing with food, and the cute cat-shaped electric kettle). He looks more closely at the second picture and rolls his eyes as he notices the pink frilly apron tied to the refrigerator handle.

_Budding gardener._

Akihito grins at the snapshot of his lone shiso plant and the empty pots with his planted seeds.

_Unbelievably stubborn. (This is a compliment, really!)_

Akihito laughs again when he sees the black credit card Asami has repeatedly tried to get him to accept to use for purchasing things for the penthouse. He doesn’t pick it up. _I’m at least as stubborn as you, bastard._

_You’re daring and brave._

A picture of Akihito hanging from the Sion sign. He does a double take and holds the picture closer before realizing it was badly photoshopped. He laughs.

 

_You can make me laugh even when I don’t want to – somehow you always know when I need to._

A photograph of Asami’s smiling face. Akihito recognizes it as one he secretly took. _He went through the files on my computer._

_You’re pure-hearted and gentle._

Another picture of Akihito and Amaya. On the back is written, “Animals always know.”

 

_You have a childlike sense of wonder._

A photo of Akihito’s face upturned to watch fireworks.

 

_You have an inquisitive mind._

A snapshot of Akihito’s phone’s search history. He snorts when he sees that Asami circled “early pregnancy symptoms” and wrote next to it, “Anything you want to tell me?”

_You’re a sexy beast._

The next picture makes Akihito squeal in embarrassment. _I_ really _need to get rid of that apron once and for all._

_Fun-loving._

Akihito’s laughing face. _Who took this? When? Is Asami finally learning how to use a camera? I thought he was hopeless at it._

_You’re athletic and strong._

A photo of Akihito and Kou practicing parkour at Kou’s college. _He went through my photo albums._

 

_You’re as compassionate as your first name suggests._

A picture of Akihito’s crying face while watching a sad movie.

 

_You can fly as high as your family name suggests._

A photo of Akihito soaring through the air, reaching for the railing of a warehouse balcony.

 

_A ray of sunshine on the cloudiest day._

A picture of Akihito’s sleeping face, sunlight illuminating his fanned-out hair, making it resemble a halo.

By the time Akihito reaches the last paper in the hall, tears are streaming down his face.

_Aishiteru._

He gasps. He rounds the corner and enters the living room, which has more candles on the bar, coffee table, and shelving. Asami is sitting on the couch in a three-piece suit. Akihito notices he’s wearing his favorite floral-patterned tie.

Asami smiles as he stands up. “I knew that’s the expression you would have on your face.”

Akihito runs to him and throws his arms around Asami’s neck. He whispers in Asami’s ear, “You- you- What are you trying to do to me, bastard?”

Asami laughs, a deep sound that rumbles Akihito’s chest. “I knew you’d say that, too, brat.” He draws back to look at Akihito, his face growing serious. “I can’t erase all those memories of the things I said that hurt you. I know that. But I wanted to give you something to replace them when the memories arise. I wanted to write one for every day of the year, but I ran out of time.”

“Or things to say,” Akihito jokes.

“Never,” Asami says fiercely.

“Thank you.” Akihito kisses him, but Asami pulls away after a minute.

“I’ve got another surprise for you, and I don’t want it to get cold.”

Asami guides Akihito to the couch. Once they’re sitting, Asami removes the lid from a platter. There’s a plate of delicious-smelling, steaming gyoza.

“I called your mom and asked for her recipe.”

Akihito’s eyes bug out.

“Don’t worry; I pretended to be a reporter. I told her that Kou said she made the best gyoza in Japan, and my cooking magazine was doing a special on gyoza recipe varieties. She wouldn’t give me the exact recipe, claiming it was just a regular recipe, but she did give me a few tips about her ‘secrets.’ Kirishima helped me make them. It took a while for me to get the technique down. I know they won’t be as good as your mom’s, but maybe they’ll be close.”

Asami picks up a gyoza and dips it in the sauce. He feeds it to Akihito.

“Wow, these are _amazing_! How did you make these? You have to teach me the recipe!”

Asami shrugs. “Kirishima looked at a few recipes, and they were pretty similar, so we just picked one. Your mom said she uses half pork and half tofu and a little more ginger than the recipe calls for. She always steam-fries them in sesame oil, and she serves it with a more shumai-style dipping sauce made of soy sauce, mustard, and vinegar.”

Akihito’s face falls slightly. “I already figured that much out, but whenever I’ve tried to make them myself, they’ve always been slightly off. You didn’t do _anything_ else different?”

Asami thinks for a moment. “Oh, right. All the recipes Kirishima found called for onion in the mix, but since you don’t like onion, I left that out.”

Akihito groans. “Seriously? That’s the whole secret? Mom never would leave the onions out of _anything_ when I was little. She said I had to learn to eat them. So I never even _considered_ that might be the secret!” He picks up another gyoza. “Have you tried one yet?”

Asami doesn’t have the heart to tell Akihito he ate about a dozen over the course of the afternoon – most of them pretty terrible. He shakes his head.

Akihito holds up the gyoza so Asami can eat it.

Asami takes a bite. “It’s good,” he says.

“You’re not supposed to compliment your own cooking,” Akihito teases.

“I’m just surprised. It’s my first time making it.” Asami grins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aishiteru: "I love you" in Japanese (Many people go their whole lives without saying this, and most only say it a handful of times, at most. It's similar to a wedding vow or deathbed confession in terms of its seriousness. When they want to say "I love you," they usually opt for "Suki desu"/"I like you" instead; thus far, Asami and Akihito have only said "Suki desu" and "Daisuki desu"/"I really like you" to each other.)  
> Gyoza: Half-moon-shaped dumplings  
> Shumai: cylindrical dumplings with an open top


	9. Giving the Chocolate Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami has given his Valentine's present. Now it's Akihito's turn. What did he ask Sakuragi to buy for him? Will Asami like the chocolates Akihito made?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter! I've gone ahead and included the omake at the end of this chapter instead of giving it its own chapter, since it's kind of a continuation/epilogue to this chapter. Hope you enjoy. And thanks for all your support.
> 
> (See the note on the first chapter for a summary of "Checklist" and "Takaba Akihito's Secret Part-Time Job," which this story draws from.)
> 
> Original Characters:  
> Kana: Takato's wife  
> Aikawa Mari: Kou's girlfriend  
> Yoneda: Akihito's head security guard  
> Sakuragi: one of Akihito's guards  
> Saji: another of Akihito's guards  
> Koizumi: the judge who overturned the Takanaga leaders' conviction  
> Takanaga Seita: the chairman of the Takanaga group, just released from prison  
> Nanahara: a Sion corporate spy who framed Takanaga, now in Hong Kong  
> Sakura Ao: an employee of the Takanaga group alleged to be a police mole  
> Tanihara: one of Sion's VIPs (i.e., a "corporate president" active in the underworld)  
> Suzuki: another Sion VIP  
> Yangbo: Fei Long's chief assistant  
> Director Nekota: an advertising photoshoot director Akihito occasionally works with  
> Amaya: female kitten, cries whenever Akihito's not in the room  
> Shiro: male kitten, curious, stubborn, energetic, and kind  
> Hitoshi: male kitten, clever, relatively obedient, patient  
> Momoe: the kittens' mother

After dinner, Akihito excuses himself to prepare the bath. He makes a detour to his workroom to grab a jar for Asami’s notes, but Shiro and Amaya both nearly escape, so he closes the door again and heads for the kitchen instead.

After grabbing a jar, he snags the bag of supplies Sakuragi picked up for him earlier off the bottom shelf of the pantry. He hid it in the pantry, never dreaming Asami would spend time cooking today, but he shouldn’t have needed anything from that section of the pantry to make gyoza.

Akihito starts the bathtub filling, adding a packet to it. He places some aromatherapy candles around it and connects his phone to the speakers, looping an ocean waves soundtrack. While the tub is filling, he heads to the bedroom to set up some additional purchases near the bed.

He grabs the yukata Asami bought them for the fireworks festival and brings them back to the bathroom with him. He turns off the bathtub faucet and takes a final look around. It doesn’t _look_ all that special until he turns off the lights, but hopefully the experience will make up for his lack of romantic presentation.

 

Akihito heads to the kitchen, where Asami is just finishing the dishes.

“Let’s take a bath,” Akihito suggests from the door.

“You can go first,” Asami says, not looking at him to notice the blush creeping across Akihito’s face.

When Akihito doesn’t leave but doesn’t say anything else, Asami finally turns to look at him. He smirks. “Oh. Did you mean together?”

_He’s getting the wrong idea,_ Akihito thinks as Asami scoops him up. “Put me down,” he protests.

Asami eventually does – once they’re in the bathroom. Asami looks around and sniffs the air. “It smells like an onsen.”

“I added a packet of onsen minerals to the water,” Akihito explains. “This is your at-home onsen experience. I’ll be your personal attendant today, sir.”

Asami eyes him. “Is this because of Fei Long bringing up the onsen earlier?”

“No! I had this planned before that. It’s because you really seemed to enjoy the onsen.” Asami grins wickedly. “I mean _before_ Fei Long showed up, pervert. And that tomato scrub. And- well- physical touch is your love language.” Akihito’s face burns.

“I’m sorry for teasing you,” Asami says, wrapping his arms around Akihito and kissing him. “Thank you. I’ll be in your care.”

Akihito starts with a mud mask, applying it to Asami’s face.

“What about the rest of me?” Asami asks.

Akihito applies the mask to Asami’s arms, chest, and back.

“And the rest?” Asami teases again.

“No one uses a mask on the rest!” Akihito protests.

“Give me a hug?” Asami asks, holding up his arms.

Akihito squeals, and Asami hugs him. “Hey!”

“You need to be pampered, too. You’re the one who worked today,” Asami says.

“Actually I didn’t. I’m not sure I’m going to be paid,” Akihito confesses.

Asami raises his eyebrows.

“Emi was the model. At five o’clock, she was still refusing to put the clothes on. I told the director that I was leaving at 5:30 whether we were finished or not.”

Asami starts rubbing the mask on Akihito’s skin. “Is that going to affect future jobs for you?” he asks.

Akihito shrugs. “I’m not sure. I think it might have actually made Director Nekota respect me more. He had me record some video of Emi’s antics to send to the designer, so she can finally understand what a nightmare she is to work with.”

He goes back to work applying the mask to Asami’s torso and arms, fixing the areas where it came off when Asami hugged him.

By the time Akihito is covered in the mask (made more difficult by his ticklishness), the mask on Asami’s face is already set. Akihito rinses it off for him and gives him a steam facial treatment, tenting a warm towel over the back of Asami’s head as he holds his face above a bowl of hot water and green tea oil.

After the steam treatment, Akihito rinses Asami off then starts washing him down. He starts at Asami’s back then moves to his arms.

Asami picks up another washcloth and starts washing Akihito.

“Hey. _I’m_ the one who’s supposed to be washing _you_ ,” Akihito protests. “I’ll wash myself later.”

“Isn’t it more fun if we do it together?” Asami asks.

Akihito sighs but allows Asami to continue. After a few seconds, he goes back to washing Asami. It’s somehow a lot more sensuous to have someone else washing you, and Akihito gradually relaxes, forgetting his embarrassment.

He washes Asami’s legs. When he rinses Asami’s right thigh, the circular scar appears through the suds. Akihito leans down and kisses it.

“Is the bullet still inside?” he asks.

“No. They had to remove it. There was an infection, and they wanted to remove the fragments of my pants fabric that had entered the wound, so they took out the bullet at the same time.”

“Does it still hurt?”

“Sometimes, when it’s cold. The numbness is more annoying.”

“Numbness?” Akihito asks, looking up at Asami.

“Now it’s just part of my calf, which isn’t so bad. At first I couldn’t feel much of my foot, so I kept bumping into things. Well, once I started walking again.”

“How long were you in rehab for it?” Akihito asks.

“Until the day I left for Hong Kong. They didn’t want me to leave the hospital, but I insisted. Kirishima was taught how to dress my wounds and work through the therapy exercises for me.”

Akihito’s eyes are leaking. He leans down and kisses the thigh again, massaging it. “Is it as strong as it used to be?”

“No. But it’s strong enough. I can run if I need to, but I’ll have a limp when I’m sprinting. It’s okay; I never liked running, anyway. And I’m fine when I’m walking, right? With pants on, you can’t even tell which leg it was.” Asami pulls Akihito towards him for a kiss, trying to draw his attention away from the scar.

The kiss is brief, though, because Asami starts laughing.

“I’m sorry; I can’t take you seriously with that mask still on your face.”

Akihito squirms, trying to rise to wash his face at the sink, but Asami holds his arm.

“Close your eyes and hold still,” he commands. He gently washes the mask off Akihito’s face.

“You could have washed that off first,” Akihito grumbles once Asami is finished.

“You looked cute with it on,” Asami explains.

Akihito rolls his eyes and moves on to washing Asami’s chest and torso, which he left for last. He kisses the scar on Asami’s shoulder but doesn’t ask about it. Asami kisses Akihito’s shoulder scar in return.

“Mine wasn’t anything. It was just a graze. It only hurt a little worse than road rash,” Akihito protests.

“Maybe. But it’s the only visible scar from that time. You had a lot more damage on the inside.”

Akihito huffs. “That doesn’t matter.”

Asami locks eyes with him. “Yes, it does.”

Akihito shifts his gaze away, “I’m sorry I gave you such a hard time for taking so long to rescue me. I didn’t realize how serious your wounds were.”

“I didn’t want you to know,” Asami counters. “Anyway, I was recovering. You were having more wounds inflicted on you daily. I worked as hard as I could. I just wish I could have gotten there sooner.”

“You came when you could,” Akihito says. He goes back to washing Asami’s chest, working his way down. Once he’s down to Asami’s belly button, he hesitates.

Asami smirks at him. “There’s one more place you still need to clean.”

Akihito gulps, his face on fire. _Why did I ever think I can do this?_

“Here, let me show you how it’s done.” Asami leans in and starts laving Akihito with his tongue.

“What are you, a cat?” Akihito shrieks. “That tickles!”

“It does more than tickle, though, right?” Asami smirks at him as he continues to work his way lower, below Akihito’s bellybutton.

 

Fifteen minutes later, after another rinse-off, they finally slide into the tub together.

“This is nicer than a real onsen,” Asami says.

“Really?” Akihito asks, surprised.

“Of course. We don’t have to worry about other people. Or dirtying the water,” Asami grins wickedly as he pulls Akihito close.

“We _just_ finished. Let’s soak a bit first.”

“We can soak afterwards.” Asami nibbles on the sensitive spot just below Akihito’s ear, and Akihito can’t help but moan.

“You’re supposed to be _relaxing_ ,” Akihito protests.

“I always relax when I’m with you,” Asami counters.

 

When the water begins to cool, they finally climb out of the tub. Akihito rubs a citrus-scented lotion into Asami’s skin (with Asami doing the same for him) before helping him into his yukata. Akihito leads the way to the bedroom. “This way to your massage, sir,” he says so that Asami won’t try for another round before Akihito can finish the spa day.

Akihito has covered Asami’s side of the bed with towels and a fresh sheet. He borrowed some of the candles from the hallway (underestimating the number he needed to buy), and the room is filled with a warm golden glow.

Asami lies on his stomach on the bed. Akihito starts the massage at his shoulders. “Man, your shoulders are so tense, even after that bath!”

Asami shrugs. “It’s been a stressful couple of days.”

“I guess it has,” Akihito says. “But it’s not anymore, right?”

Asami shrugs again. “No more than usual, at this point.”

“So relax already,” Akihito says.

After a few minutes, Asami says, “You’re remarkably good at this. Have you had any practice?”

“Of course not!” Akihito says. “Well, actually…” he trails off.

Asami opens his eyes and peers up at him. “Actually what?” he demands.

Akihito sighs. “My dad used to pay me to massage his feet when I was little.”

“Are you embarrassed about that?” Asami asks, closing his eyes and relaxing again. “At least he paid you. My grandfather never did.”

Akihito is curious about Asami’s childhood, but now is not the time to be talking about ojiisans’ feet. He starts humming softly as he continues to massage Asami’s backside.

After thirty minutes, he has Asami roll over onto his back so he can massage the other side. Akihito tries to ignore the tenting of the towel draped across Asami’s middle, but seeing Asami so turned on is making Akihito himself even more turned on than he already was. He massages Asami’s arms and legs before moving closer to massage his chest.

“It’d be easier if you'd just straddle me,” Asami points out.

Akihito eyes him suspiciously, but Asami’s eyes are still closed. Akihito climbs over Asami, carefully keeping his back end elevated as he starts to work on the front of Asami’s shoulders.

As Akihito continues to work, his own body naturally relaxes into a more comfortable position until Asami says with a smirk, “What are you using to massage my belly button?”

Akihito glances down and freezes. When he looks back up, Asami is gazing at him with a predatory look that sends anticipatory shivers down his spine. Akihito knows that the massage is officially over and spa day has ended. The dessert portion of their Valentine’s celebration is about to begin.

 

Akihito awakens to Amaya’s cries. Early daylight is streaming into the room, so he slides out of the bed – and immediately collapses onto the floor. _I need a massage myself_ , he thinks ruefully.

He grabs his yukata from the floor and pulls it on. He shuts the bedroom door behind him as he hobbles to his workroom to let the cats out. Amaya winds around his legs, so he picks her up. He settles on the couch with her as he watches Shiro and Hitoshi chase each other around the apartment in a giant loop: living room, dining room, kitchen, hallway, living room.

His phone buzzes on the coffee table where he left it last night. He picks it up and sees that he has a message from Kana.

_Thanks again for all your help, Aki-san. My friend said it went well telling her husband. And Takato liked the chocolates, too. How did Asami like his?_

Shoot! He forgot to give Asami the chocolates last night. Well, he’ll just have to give them to him today. It’ll be better this way, because then he won’t have to worry about Asami spending a ridiculous amount of money getting him a White Day present in exchange.

_Wait. Do_ I _have to get Asami a White Day present for the gyoza and notes? But we each gave a present, so it should be okay, right? We can just skip White Day._ He resolves to make sure to discuss it with Asami. _But how will I know Asami won’t just get me something anyway?_

He groans. These present-giving holidays are such a nightmare. He decides to forget about it for now and text Kana back.

_I forgot to give them to him._

He gets a reply right away.

_Aki-san! Seriously? How could you forget?_

_A lot happened!_

_Like what?_

What is he supposed to say to that? “The guy who kidnapped me and shot Asami showed up, and Asami and I decided to confront him so that Asami could tell him who really killed his father”? Yeah, right.

_Oh, did Asami surprise_ you _with a Valentine’s gift?_

Akihito’s face burns. He hesitates, trying to figure out how to deny it without actually lying.

_He did, didn’t he?!_

Akihito sighs.

_Yeah. And I got him something else, too – something I thought he’d appreciate more than chocolates._

His phone rings. He sighs again and answers it without looking. It’s surely Kana hoping to hear all the embarrassing details.

But it’s Takato.

“Aki! Thank you so much for the chocolates.”

“Kana-san made them,” Akihito points out.

“She told me how much you helped her. They were amazing!”

“Did you like the mint ones?” Akihito asks casually.

“Yeah, they were my favorite! You know how much I like chocolate mints.”

“That’s funny. Kana-san said she was making the mint ones for her friend’s husband. She didn’t put any in your box. Did you like her chocolate message?”

After a long pause, Takato chuckles and says, “I told Kana you probably figured it out. She was so proud of herself for being able to make the chocolates with you without you suspecting anything.” After a shorter pause, he adds, “We were going to tell you when she’s further along, when we’re ready to tell our families. We haven’t even told our parents yet.”

“I understand,” Akihito says. “And congratulations! Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone else. Except – can I tell Asami? He was a little worried when Kana-san nearly fainted Saturday.”

“She what?” Takato asks.

“She didn’t tell you? She said she would!” Akihito says. “She said it was just low blood pressure, and she already talked to a doctor about it. Apparently it can happen in early pregnancy – I looked up the symptoms after Kana-san left Saturday,” he explains.

Takato sighs. “I’d better go. Sure, you can tell Asami-san, as long as he’ll keep it a secret. And thanks again, Aki.”

Akihito decides he’d better text Kana.

_Sorry, I accidentally told Takato about your near-fainting incident Saturday. I hope it’s not too big a deal._

He doesn’t hear anything back, so after a few minutes he decides to take a hot shower to loosen up his muscles. The bathroom still smells faintly like an onsen, and in the light of day, he can see a faint stain on the tub from the onsen minerals. _I’ll have to scrub that after work._

Amaya meows at him from outside the shower area as Akihito showers. “Shh, Asami’s still sleeping,” he admonishes her.

“Not anymore,” Asami calls through the shower wall. Amaya stops crying, so Akihito assumes that Asami has picked her up.

A few minutes later, Akihito leaves the shower feeling a lot better. He quickly dresses for work in the bedroom before heading towards the kitchen, where Asami is staring into the fridge, trying to decide what to make for breakfast. Amaya struggles out of Asami’s arms and runs to Akihito.

He scoops her up and says, “Grab that box on the bottom shelf.”

Asami pulls out the white box with a pink ribbon.

Akihito frowns. “I could have sworn I didn’t use a ribbon. Kana-san must have added it when I wasn’t looking.”

He nods at Asami, and Asami unties the ribbon and opens the box. He raises his eyebrows at Akihito.

“They’re for you. I know you don’t like sweets, but it’s tradition, okay? Anyway, they’re not too sweet.”

“I’m sure they’ll be delicious. Thank you.” Asami kisses Akihito.

“The ones with the coffee beans are coffee truffles,” Akihito says. “The ones with cocoa are whiskey, and the plain ones are matcha.” He looks at Asami expectantly.

“Do I have to keep them in the fridge?” Asami asks.

“Yeah. They’ll be good for about a week.” Asami starts to close the box again, and Akihito bursts out, “Aren’t you going to at least try one?”

Asami looks at the clock, bemused. “It’s seven o’clock in the morning. I was going to at least wait until after breakfast.”

“Oh, right. That makes sense, I guess,” Akihito says, looking a little disappointed.

Asami eyes him for a long moment. “I suppose I could try one of the coffee ones now. Maybe it’ll help me wake up.”

“It’s got espresso in it, so it might,” Akihito says, his face brightening.

Asami laughs. He takes a tentative bite of the chocolate. “Hey, this is really good!”

Akihito smiles.

“Have you tasted it yet?” Asami asks.

“Thanks, but I’m good. I prefer my chocolate a little sweeter.”

“This is sweet enough,” Asami says, popping the rest in his mouth. “Thanks again for the chocolates.” He kisses Akihito again. Though the flavor is bitter, the kiss is sweet, and Akihito lets Asami deepen it, until he feels Asami tying something around his waist.

“I don’t have time for that today! I’ve got to go to work early. The editor’s not pleased my stakeout Saturday turned out to be a bust,” Akihito protests, pulling the pink frilly apron off his waist.

“So give him the pictures.”

“What if he actually tries to publish them? We _just_ reached a truce with Fei Long; I don’t want to wreck it less than 24 hours after we made it.” Akihito glances at the clock. “Anyway, I’ve got to leave in an hour, and I still have to start the laundry.”

“I put the sheets and towels on the floor into the washer already,” Asami says.

“Oh. Thanks! I knew something was missing in the bedroom,” Akihito says, kissing Asami on the cheek.

“I couldn’t actually figure out how to _start_ the washer, though,” Asami admits.

“Seriously?” Akihito eyes him suspiciously, certain it must be a joke. But Asami looks serious. “How have you gotten so old and not ever done laundry?”

“I did my own laundry in school, but this machine is a lot more complicated,” Asami protests.

Akihito sighs, leading the way to the laundry room. It’s true that the washer has a ridiculous number of settings, and he did look up the manual the first time he used it himself, but still. “How long have you lived here again?”

“Four years.”

Akihito just stares at him. “And in all that time, you’ve _never_ done laundry?”

Asami shrugs. “I always had a housekeeper – at least until you moved in and insisted on doing the chores yourself. As long as everything ended up in the hampers, it would magically appear clean and pressed in my closet when I came home.”

“It wasn’t magic,” Akihito points out. “Someone worked to clean and press them.”

“I know that,” Asami says.

Akihito gives him a quick tutorial on the washing machine. “I feel sorry for your housekeepers.”

“What do you mean?” Asami asks. “I always picked up after myself. I’m not untidy.”

Akihito rolls his eyes. “You _never_ washed your own sheets? Even after a night like last night?”

“You only came over a handful of times before moving in,” Asami reminds him. “And I at least put the sheets in the washing machine for them.”

“Oh.” Akihito says, his face flushing. _Does that mean Asami never brought anyone home besides me? He_ is _very protective of his space. But why me?_

Asami smirks at him. “Do I need to write more things to put in the jar?”

“No, you already wrote enough,” Akihito squeaks.

“Not by a long shot,” Asami says. He snags a piece of paper and writes, _You’re humble._

 

**Omake**

After taking pictures at the courthouse until lunch break, Akihito heads to a café to meet Kana.

“Now I can finally say congratulations! Are you feeling better today?” Akihito asks when he sees her.

“I feel fine,” she says. “I told you that Saturday.”

“Sorry about spilling the beans to Takato about it.”

Kana shrugs. “I said I was going to tell him. I meant to; I just forgot. Anyway, I want to hear all about your romantic Valentine’s Day!”

She’s kind of loud, so Akihito shushes her as he looks around to see if anyone nearby overheard her. He rolls his eyes. “You’re so nosy.”

“Yep! You already knew that. So spill. What was so amazing you completely forgot to give Asami the chocolates you spent all day Saturday making for him?”

Akihito sighs. “Asami wrote little notes about me and left them in a path from the door when I got home from my photoshoot. And when we talked about the love languages on Saturday, I got the idea to do a kind of onsen day for him.”

Kana squeals. “That’s so romantic! What did the notes say?”

Akihito blushes. “Just stuff.”

“Stuff. Right. I thought you were a writer, Aki-chan,” Kana whines.

“I’m a photographer,” Akihito corrects. “And don’t call me ‘chan.’”

“You’re a journalist. You write the articles. Anyway, what did you do with the notes? Did you put them in your wallet?”

Akihito blushes even deeper but shakes his head in denial. _I only put_ one _there_.

“You did, didn’t you?! Let me see!” Kana reaches out her hand expectantly, but Akihito doesn’t budge.

He decides he has to give her _something_ , though. “They were just nice things. Like ‘You’re a great photographer.’”

“That’s so _romantic_ ,” Kana sighs. “I think that might be better than flower petals.”

“It’s easier to clean up, anyway,” Akihito says, smirking. He’s beginning to understand why his friends like getting a rise out of him; he’s learning to enjoy pushing Kana’s buttons.

“You’re so unromantic,” Kana chides. She takes a sip of her tea before shaking her head. “Well, actually, I guess you’re not. You did a spa day?”

Akihito shrugs. “I guess. I got onsen minerals for the bath.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“What else? You said an onsen day. I’m sure it was more than just the bath. Facial? Mani-pedi?”

“We’re not girls!” Akihito protests.

“Massage?” Kana grins wickedly.

Akihito feels his face heating up again. _She tricked me._

“Ha! No wonder you were too distracted to give him the chocolates. Make sure you give them to him today.”

“I already did. He tried a coffee one for breakfast.”

“Did he like it?”

“I guess.”

Thankfully, Kana leaves the topic of Valentine’s Day at that, her fujoshi curiosity apparently satisfied for now. They sip their drinks for a while before she breaks the silence again.

“I have a confession to make.”

Akihito just looks at her, resigned to hear that she said something embarrassing about him to someone.

“I took a picture of that photo you had of Shiro – the one where it looked like he was attacking the camera. I showed it to my friend who runs a cat café.”

“The kittens aren’t for sale. We don’t even own them,” he reminds her.

“I know. But my friend uses the wall space in the café to showcase artwork featuring cats.”

“This is really a friend? You’re not talking about yourself again, are you?” Akihito teases her.

Kana balls up her napkin and throws it at him. “I don’t own a cat café. You know that. Anyway, when I showed her your photo, she was interested in having you do an exhibit.”

“An exhibit?” Akihito asks blankly. “Based off one photo?”

“Yes. She’s seen enough photos of cats to know talent when she sees it,” Kana huffs. “Anyway, she made me promise that I give you her contact information.”

“An exhibit…” Akihito muses. “I’m not sure I’d have time for that…”

“She can put you on the schedule whenever. You already have a ton of great photos. And you can sell prints. Most of her artists make anywhere from 50,000 yen to 100,000 yen. One made a million yen, and since you could sell multiple prints of the same photos, it could be really great for you. She also sells some merchandise, and she was interested in licensing some of your photos for that, too. Mugs, keychains, postcards…”

Akihito takes the business card and flyer Kana hands him. “Wow. I guess I’ll think about it. I’d have to check with the cats’ owner first, of course.”

Kana shrugs. “I guess so. Anyway, definitely give Tehru-chan a call. All the cats at the café are up for adoption, so they’re constantly rotating, and she’s still trying to find a good photographer to showcase them on the café’s website.”

“I’ll call her. Thanks, Kana-san.”

Kana checks her watch. “I’ve got to go. Thanks again for all your help this weekend, Aki-san. It’s not much, but I got this for your garden.” She lifts a plant from the seat beside her. “It’s nanohana. It should bloom in a few weeks.”

“Thanks,” Akihito says.

He looks at the tall green stalks. _Spring is almost here._

As he walks back to the newspaper office, his steps and heart feel light with the promise of spring. It’s hard to believe that less than a year ago, he was in Hong Kong, wondering if he’d ever see his country again – much less his friends and family. Even three months ago, he never would have dreamed Asami would have written any of the things he wrote last night. He opens his wallet and looks at the slip of paper tucked in front of his license in the clear plastic window.

_Aishiteru._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yukata: light cotton kimono  
> ojiisan: grandfather, elderly man  
> matcha: green tea  
> fujoshi: female yaoi/BL fan  
> aishiteru: see note on previous chapter


End file.
